STEPHANIE DESCROIX

Dr. Stéphanie Descroix, CNRS Research Director, leads the Macromolecules and Microsystems in Biology and Medicine (MMBM) team within the Physics of Cells and Cancer unit (UMR168) at the Institut Curie, and is also affiliated with the Pierre-Gilles de Gennes Institute (IPGG) at Université PSL. Her research lies at the interface of biology and physics, with a particular focus on microfluidics and bioengineering.

Among her various projects, the “tumor-on-chip” models—developed in close collaboration with Dr. Maria Carla Parrini from the Stress and Cancer team (U1339 / UMR3666 Institut Curie/Inserm/CNRS)—represent one of the major axes of her long-standing work. This multi-patented technology, currently being developed through academic and industrial collaborations, reproduces within a miniature chip, in vitro and in a very short time, the key characteristics of a patient’s tumor.

Her work has also been supported by funding from the Priority Research Programs and Equipment (PEPR MEDOOC), strengthening the infrastructures and collaborations necessary for innovative translational research.

As a member of the Executive Committee of the Women’s Cancer Institute (IHU Institut des Cancers des Femmes), she co-leads PADEMO (Patient-Derived Preclinical Model Platform). PADEMO hosts one of the world’s largest collections of PDX models, representing the diversity of breast cancers, as well as 3D organoids and tumor-on-chip systems.

Author of more than 130 scientific publications and holder of several patents, she collaborates with academic and industrial partners to develop new approaches aimed at better understanding tumor mechanisms and supporting clinical decision-making.