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DIM ELICIT Empowering life sciences with innovative technologies Coordinated by the Institut Pasteur and the Institut Pierre Gilles de Gennes, the DIM ELICIT has been awarded the label ´'RPDLQH G·,QWpUrW 0DMHXUµ ÀHOG RI PDMRU LQWHUHVW E\ WKH ÍOH GH )UDQFH 5HJLRQDO &RXQFLO ,WV PLVVLRQ LV WR FUHDWH LQQRYDWLRQV E\ ÀQDQFLQJ XSVWUHDP PXOWLGLVFLSOLQDU\ UHVHDUFK FROODERUDWLRQV EHWZHHQ SK\VLFV DSSOLHG PDWKHPDWLFV DQG biology laboratories.
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he DIM ELICIT covers three scientific themes: microfluidics (the science of flow and fluid manipulation on a micrometric scale), biophotonics (the fusion of optics and biology) and waves and computer-assisted biological image analysis. These themes are broken down into four application areas: single cell/ single molecule (with breakthrough results expected in the fields of immunology, developmental biology and cancer), organs on chips (for the development of analytical models of diseases, for example), technologies for the in vivo study of animal models and high-performance, low-cost technologies (point-of-care diagnostics, microscopy). With a budget of €10M, the DIM ELICIT organises 1 to 2 calls for projects per year. Since its creation in 2017, it has financed more than 60 projects, involved more than 160 laboratories, more than 20 industrial partners and more than 40 pieces of equipment. In addition, 7 PhD students, 10 post-doctoral students and 6 engineers have been recruited for the various projects.
For example, some projects are developing applications in single cell analysis using high resolution microscopy to generate new therapies based on the study of heterogeneous populations such as chemotherapy resistant cells in a tumour. Another application is organs-on-a-chip, cell culture micro-devices that allow the biology of tissues and organs to be faithfully reproduced in vitro and partially eliminate the need for animal models for toxicology studies or drug screening. In the field of technologies for the in vivo study of animal models, one project is based on a rapidly developing technology, September 2021
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Network of DIM ELICIT researchers at the 2019 DIM ELICIT Day conference / Réseau des chercheurs du DIM ELICIT lors du colloque DIM ELICIT Day de 2019
ultrafast ultrasound, to better understand brain alterations in people with autism spectrum disorders and improve their care. The DIM ELICIT also supports the COVIDISC project: selected in the context of a special call for projects for SARS-CoV-2, this new screening test for covid-19 is an application of paper microfluidics. Whether it is a question of better understanding living organisms or developing new diagnostic tools, the challenge remains the same: adapting the technology to the end user’s needs in order to promote the development of a product likely to interest an industrialist (licence) or to give rise to a start-up. The DIM ELICIT team therefore evaluates research projects according to their potential for economic development in a logic of complementarity with the Île-de-France innovation ecosystem. As the delegate for the allocation of research grants from the Île-deFrance Region in its specialist field, this consortium of researchers is ideally placed to meet the expectations of the regional scientific community. Its stated aim is to reduce the administrative burden of
submitting projects as much as possible in order to better focus on the scientific evaluation of these projects. In parallel with the calls for projects, the DIM ELICIT has targeted a series of highimpact actions such as laboratory visits for students and communication actions: a partnership has been set up with the Esprit Sorcier YouTube channel, which has several tens of thousands of subscribers, for the production of short educational and general public videos. A very good start for a promising field of application.
DIM ELICIT Institut Pasteur 25-28, rue du Docteur Roux - F-75015 Paris Tél. : +33 (0)6 32 65 42 06 E-mail : dim.elicit@pasteur.fr https://dim-elicit.fr/
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