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- Institut Curie contributes to four Université PSL Major Research Programs to tackle key challenges in biology and health
Understanding cell plasticity, deciphering interactions within tissues, designing artificial living systems, and developing the technologies of the future: these ambitions are at the heart of four Université PSL Major Research Programs involving teams from eight Institut Curie research units. With funding of around €3 million each, these programs give researchers the resources to pursue interdisciplinary projects focused on these major scientific challenges.
Major scientific breakthroughs depend as much on the excellence of researchers as on the collaborations they build. For several years, Université PSL has supported these interdisciplinary efforts through various research initiatives, including the Laboratories of Excellence (LabEx), which involved many Institut Curie teams. Following the end of the LabEx programs in late 2024, 14 Major Research Programs emerged.
Bringing together nearly 1,000 researchers from several PSL institutions and partners, including Institut Curie, these programs represent a total investment of €36.5 million and span the life sciences, physics, chemistry, engineering, as well as the humanities and social sciences.
Today, teams from eight of Institut Curie’s thirteen research units actively contribute to four of these programs.
ChemCellState: understanding how cells change state
A cell does not always behave in the same way. In response to its environment, it can change its function, become more mobile, or develop resistance to treatment. This ability to adapt, known as cell plasticity, is involved in many biological processes and plays a major role in cancer progression, particularly in metastasis and relapse.
At Institut Curie, Dr. Raphaël Rodriguez1 leads the institution’s involvement in the ChemCellState program (Chemistry of Cell States). It brings together specialists in chemistry, physical chemistry, chemical biology, cell biology, microbiology, and immunology to better understand the molecular mechanisms that govern these changes in cell state. The program is also developing new biological and chemical tools, as well as molecules capable of controlling this plasticity, with the aim of opening new therapeutic avenues.
DEVINE: deciphering communication between cells within tissues
Tissues are not simply assemblies of cells. Their development, function, and renewal depend on continuous interactions between stem cells, specialized cells, and immune cells. Yet these interactions are still not fully understood.
The DEVINE program (Development and Immunology Network to unravel tissue biology) is led in part by Drs. Ana-Maria Lennon-Duménil2 and Yohanns Bellaïche3. It brings developmental biologists and immunologists together to study these interactions throughout life. By connecting development, homeostasis, aging, and tissue transformation in diseases such as cancer, the program aims to explore tissue biology from a new perspective and provide a more integrated view.
EnLife: rebuilding living systems to better understand them
Understanding living systems no longer means simply observing them. Scientists are now seeking to reconstruct some of their mechanisms in order to uncover the fundamental principles that govern them.
Drs. Pascal Hersen4 and Franck Perez5 lead Institut Curie’s involvement in the EnLife program (Engineering Life). The program brings together the expertise of biologists, physicists, and engineers around a common goal: designing artificial living systems, from synthetic cells to artificial tissues, to better understand how biological functions emerge. These models will also support the development of new tools for research.
IPGG: microfluidics driving the discoveries of tomorrow
Microfluidic and nanofluidic approaches make it possible to manipulate small volumes in controlled environments. They provide new ways to investigate fundamental questions about living systems, accelerate drug discovery, and develop alternatives to animal experimentation.
At Institut Curie, Dr. Stéphanie Descroix leads the institution’s involvement in the IPGG Major Research Program (Institut Pierre-Gilles de Gennes). Bringing together chemists, physicists, biologists, and engineers, the program develops and applies these approaches to both fundamental and applied research. Its newest research focus examines, through an interdisciplinary approach, the interactions of microplastics and nanoplastics with living systems. The program also addresses the energy and ecological transitions.
1 CNRS Research Director, Deputy Director of the Chemical Biology of Cancer unit (Inserm U1339/CNRS UMR3666) and head of the Biomedicine team within the unit, at Institut Curie.
2 Inserm Research Director, Director of the Immunity and Cancer unit (Inserm U932) and head of the Spatio-temporal dynamics of immune cells team within the unit, at Institut Curie.
3 CNRS Research Director, Director of the Genetics and Developmental Biology unit (CNRS UMR3215/Inserm U934/Sorbonne Université) and head of the Polarity, Division and Morphogenesis team within the unit, at Institut Curie.
4 CNRS Research Director, Director of the Physics of Cells and Cancer unit (CNRS UMR168/Sorbonne Université) and head of the Dynamic Control of Signaling and Gene Expression team within the unit, at Institut Curie.
5 CNRS Research Director, Director of the Cell Biology and Cancer unit (CNRS UMR144/Sorbonne Université) and head of the Intracellular Transport: Engineering and Mechanisms team within the unit, at Institut Curie.
6 CNRS Research Director, Deputy Director of the Physics of Cells and Cancer unit (CNRS UMR168/Sorbonne Université) and head of the Macromolecules and Microsystems in Biology and Medicine (MMBM) team within the unit, at Institut Curie, and Director of the Institut Pierre-Gilles de Gennes.
