Colloques du Collège de France - Collège de France

Sébastien LecommandouxCollège de FranceInnovation technologique Liliane Bettencourt (2024-2025)Année 2024-2025Colloque - Advancing Biomaterials: Biomimetic and Biohybrid InnovationsMolly Stevens : Designing and translating new materials for advanced therapies and disease detectionMolly StevensJohn Black Professor of Bionanoscience, University of OxfordRésuméThis talk will present recent advances in therapeutic and biosensing materials, with a focus on translational pipelines for clinical application. We have developed scalable fabrication methods to create complex 3D architectures and biofunctionalized surfaces with spatially organized biochemical and topographical cues. Our delivery platforms include high-molecular-weight polymer carriers for saRNA therapeutics and photo-responsive nanoreactors inspired by circadian rhythms. We are also exploring bioinspired soft robotics for targeted, stimuli-responsive drug delivery.In diagnostics, we are engineering functionalized nanoparticles for in vivo disease detection, including colorimetric nanoprobes for visual readouts and CRISPR-based, preamplification-free RNA detection (CrisprZyme). We have developed Raman microspectroscopy tools and machine learning techniques for hyperspectral unmixing, enabling the analysis of live-cell and organoid models and tracking nanomedicines in vivo.A key innovation is our SPARTA™ platform, which enables high-throughput, label-free characterization of single nanoparticles, supporting the development of nanoparticle therapeutics and exosome diagnostics.This talk will explore how these technologies are advancing biomedical innovation and how we are establishing translational pathways to bring them into the clinic—while striving to make healthcare solutions more accessible and equitable. Molly StevensProfessor Dame Molly Stevens FREng FRS is John Black Professor of Bionanoscience at the University of Oxford (Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics and Institute of Biomedical Engineering) and part-time Professor at Imperial College London and the Karolinska Institute. Professor Stevens' multidisciplinary research balances the investigation of fundamental science with the development of technologies and designer biomaterials to address some of the major healthcare challenges across diagnostics, advanced therapeutics and regenerative medicine. The impact of her work is recognised by numerous accolades, including the 2023 Novonordisk Prize. Professor Stevens' work has a strong translational drive, focussed on translating scientific innovation into practical solutions to benefit patients and society. She is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of four spin-off companies in the diagnostics, advanced therapeutics, and regenerative medicine space. She has been recently appointed as Oxford University Champion for Women and Diversity in Entrepreneurships.

Sébastien LecommandouxCollège de FranceInnovation technologique Liliane Bettencourt (2024-2025)Année 2024-2025Colloque - Advancing Biomaterials: Biomimetic and Biohybrid InnovationsTimothy J. Deming : Enhancing biomimicry via polypeptide side-chain modificationsTimothy J. DemingProfesseur, UCLARésuméOur lab has pursued development of methods to allow selective incorporation of diverse functionality into synthetic polypeptide materials. Specifically, we have developed synthetic methods that allow a robust variety of modifications to nucleophilic thioether containing side-chains in both methionine and alkylated cysteine residues. Here we show such modifications can create synthetic polypeptides that can mimic environmentally responsive coacervate formation as has been observed in cytosolic proteins. We also show how modifications can be performed simultaneously on both segments of aqueous block copolymer assemblies resulting in materials that can respond to biologically relevant stimuli.Timothy J. DemingTimothy J. Deming received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Irvine in 1989, and graduated with a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1993. After a NIH postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with David Tirrell, he joined the faculty in the Materials Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1995. Here he held appointments in the Materials and Chemistry Departments where he was promoted to Associate Professor in 1999 and Full Professor in 2003. His appointment is now as Distinguished Professor of Bioengineering and Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California Los Angeles. He served as the Chairman of the Bioengineering Department at UCLA from 2006 to 2011. He is a leader in the fields of polypeptide synthesis, self-assembly of block copolypeptides, and use of polypeptides in biology, for which he has received awards from the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, the Materials Research Society, and the IUPAC Macromolecular Division. He is also a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, and recently received the Fulbright-Tocqueville Distinguished Chair Award. Professor Deming has a long track record of training students for performing ethical, rigorous research and for organizing their data for presentations and publications. He is active in the bioinspired materials community, recently served as an Associate Editor for Biomacromolecules, and has been an Editorial Advisory Board member for Macromolecular Bioscience, Soft Matter, Macromolecules, and Biopolymers.

Sébastien LecommandouxCollège de FranceInnovation technologique Liliane Bettencourt (2024-2025)Année 2024-2025Colloque - Advancing Biomaterials: Biomimetic and Biohybrid InnovationsRaffaele Mezzenga : Amyloid-metal biohybrids for health and environmental remediationRaffaele MezzengaProfesseur, ETH ZurichRésuméAmyloid fibrils interact with metal ions via metal-ligand supramolecular interactions whose energy is of the order of tens to hundreds of KBT. The occurrence of the 20 essential amino acids in food-based amyloid fibrils derived from inexpensive animal and plant proteins, including from food waste, combined with the extreme aspect ratio of the amyloids, allow for an affordable, yet universal toolbox to produce multifunctional hybrids which can serve in a multitude of applications and technologies. In this talk I will provide several examples of food amyloid fibrils interacting with metal ions and nanoparticles for both health and environmental remediation, some of which have made it into real technologies. Taking β-lactoglobulin amyloids as a model amyloid system derived from whey, a by-product of cheese making process, I will show how metal ions can be adsorbed from water and wastewater solutions by amyloid-based filters for water purification purposes, or how gold ions can be adsorbed and processed from amyloid aerogels to recycle gold from e-waste. I will also show how iron atoms can be coordinated to β-lactoglobulin amyloids to deliver highly bioavailable Fe(II) for iron fortification, or to design hydrogels capable of performing cascade enzymatic reactions for alcohol detoxification in vivo. Raffaele MezzengaRaffaele Mezzenga is full professor at ETH Zurich since 2009. His research focuses on the self-assembly of proteins, polymers, liquid crystals, food and colloidal systems. He is a Highly Cited Researcher (Clarivate, 2023) in the cross-field discipline, with more than 450 publications and 20 patents. His work has been recognized by several prestigious international distinctions such as the 2017 Fellowship and the 2013 Dillon Medal by the American Physical Society, the 2013 Biomacromolecules/Macromolecules Young Investigator Award by the American Chemical Society, the 2011 American Oil Chemists' Society Young Scientist Research Award, and the 2004 Swiss Science National Foundation Professorship Award.

Sébastien LecommandouxCollège de FranceInnovation technologique Liliane Bettencourt (2024-2025)Année 2024-2025Colloque - Advancing Biomaterials: Biomimetic and Biohybrid InnovationsMaría J. Vicent : Polypeptide-Based Nanomedicines: Enhancing Tropism and Overcoming Biological BarriersMaría J. VicentProfesseur, CIPF ValenceRésuméPolypeptides play a crucial role in areas like nanomedicine, where their biological function is governed by intricate structural features. Studying structure-activity relationships is essential to optimize polypeptide-conjugate designs, as minor structural changes can lead to unexpected yet highly effective biological outcomes. We have addressed traditional synthetic limitations by using controlled NCA polymerization and rigorous characterization, producing well-defined architectures. Post-polymerization modifications introduce various functional groups and orthogonal reactive sites, enabling a wide range of polypeptide configurations, such as diblock copolymers and star-shaped structures. These can self-assemble into supramolecular nanostructures with unique biological properties, including tissue specificity, subcellular targeting, and potential brain delivery. Through a bottom-up strategy and the strategic design of polymer-drug linkers, in vitro and in vivo assessments have shown these systems to be non-toxic, with enhanced cellular uptake and extended half-life and accumulation in specific tissues like lymph nodes, mitochondria, and the brain. These findings position our polypeptide-based nanosystems as promising therapeutics.María J. VicentProfessor María J. Vicent leads the Polymer Therapeutics Lab at the Príncipe Felipe Research Center (CIPF) since 2006 and became its Scientific Director and Cancer Program Coordinator in 2024. She also oversees the Screening Platform, part of the EU-OpenScreen infrastructure, and currently serves as president-elect of the Controlled Release Society (CRS). Additionally, she is Editor-in-Chief of Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews. Her research focuses on designing innovative nanopharmaceuticals through Polymer Therapeutics to address unmet clinical needs in diagnostics and therapy. Her work has been supported by national and EU grants, including ERC-funded projects like MyNano, Polymmune, and Polybraint, as well as NanoPanTher and other public-private initiatives. María has received multiple accolades such as the Idea and Samyang awards and Women in Science honors. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (FNAI), the AIMBE College of Fellows (since 2019), and the CRS College of Fellows (since 2021). With over 155 peer-reviewed publications and 15 patents, her innovations have led to six technology licenses, one of which helped launch the spin-off Polypeptide Therapeutic Solutions S.L. in 2012. The company, rebranded as Curapath after its acquisition by Arcline in 2021, is now a leading CDMO with over 100 employees.

Jean-Jacques HublinPaléantropologieCollège de FranceAnnée 2023-2024Conférence - Hugo Meijer : Aux origines de la guerre et de la paix dans l'espèce humaineHugo MeijerChargé de recherche CNRS au Centre de recherches internationales (CERI) de Sciences Po ParisHugo Meijer est invité par le Pr Jean-Jacques Hublin.RésuméQuelles sont les origines de la guerre et de la paix ? Notre espèce, Homo sapiens, présente un paradoxe remarquable : nous sommes la seule espèce capable à la fois de conflits létaux et de coopération pacifique étendue entre groupes. Alors que certaines espèces se livrent à des conflits intergroupes (comme, par exemple, les chimpanzés, les loups et les fourmis), d'autres font preuve d'une coopération intergroupe limitée (comme les bonobos et les dauphins), mais aucune autre espèce ne combine ces deux comportements à une telle échelle et avec une telle complexité. En intégrant des données issues d'un large éventail de disciplines (biologie, primatologie, anthropologie, archéologie, génétique, neurosciences, criminologie, psychologie sociale, linguistique, démographie et climatologie), l'ouvrage présenté par Hugo Meijer – Janus-faced: The Origins of War and Peace in the Human Species – analyse les facteurs biologiques, culturels et environnementaux qui permettent de saisir quand et pourquoi cette dualité, qui nous distingue au sein du règne animal, a émergé au cours de la lignée humaine.Hugo Meijer est chargé de recherche CNRS au Centre de recherches internationales (CERI) de Sciences Po Paris, dont il est également le directeur adjoint. Il est également directeur fondateur de l'European Initiative for Security Studies (EISS), le réseau universitaire paneuropéen en études de sécurité.Publication à paraître : Janus-faced: The Origins of War and Peace in the Human Species (Cambridge : Cambridge University Press).

Sébastien LecommandouxCollège de FranceInnovation technologique Liliane Bettencourt (2024-2025)Année 2024-2025Colloque - Advancing Biomaterials: Biomimetic and Biohybrid InnovationsSam Stupp : Role of Supramolecular Motion in Cell SignalingSam StuppProfesseur, Northwestern UniversitySam StuppSamuel Stupp is Board of Trustees Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry, Medicine, and Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University. He also directs Northwestern's Center for Regenerative Nanomedicine. Stupp's interdisciplinary research is focused on developing self-assembling supramolecular nanostructures and materials for functions relevant to renewable energy, regenerative medicine, and robotic soft matter. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Spanish Academy, the National Academy of Sciences of Latin America, the National Academy of Sciences of Costa Rica, and the U.S. National Academy of Inventors. Stupp has won numerous awards over the course of his career, including three American Chemical Society national awards: the Award in Polymer Chemistry, the Ronald Breslow Award for Achievement in Biomimetic Chemistry, and the Ralph F. Hirschmann Award in Peptide Chemistry. He recently received the 2022 Materials Research Society Von Hippel Award, the highest honor awarded by this society. Other awards include the Department of Energy Prize for Outstanding Scientific Accomplishment in Materials Chemistry, the Materials Research Society Medal Award, the Royal Society of Chemistry Award in Soft Matter and Biophysical Chemistry, and the Nanoscience Prize from the International Society for Nanoscale Science, Computation, and Engineering, which recognizes lifelong achievement in the field.

Sébastien LecommandouxCollège de FranceInnovation technologique Liliane Bettencourt (2024-2025)Année 2024-2025Colloque - Advancing Biomaterials: Biomimetic and Biohybrid InnovationsKazunori Kataoka : Self-Assembling Polymer Nanosystems: Towards Clinical Translation of Smart Drug DeliveryKazunori KataokaProfesseur, iCONM - University of TokyoRésuméSelf-assembling polymer-based nanosystems, particularly polymer micelle-type drug delivery systems (PM-DDS), have emerged as powerful platforms for the smart delivery of therapeutic agents. Constructed through the spontaneous organization of precision-engineered block copolymers, these nanoscale carriers—typically 10 to 100 nm in size, comparable to viruses—feature a core–shell structure that enables both efficient drug encapsulation and excellent biocompatibility. While initially developed for small-molecule delivery, PM-DDS technology has rapidly evolved to accommodate more complex modalities such as nucleic acid and protein therapeutics, as well as imaging contrast agents. This presentation will focus on recent advances in PM-DDS, with particular emphasis on systems designed for the delivery of nucleic acid-based drugs including siRNA, antisense oligonucleotides (ASO), and mRNA. Highlighted examples include platforms that have progressed to clinical evaluation, underscoring the translational potential of these self-assembling nanocarriers in addressing intractable diseases.Kazunori KataokaProf. Kazunori Kataoka is the Center Director of the Innovation Center of NanoMedicine, Kawasaki Institute of Industrial Promotion, and Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo. For over four decades, he has made pioneering contributions to the fields of biomaterials, particularly in drug delivery and targeting, non-viral gene delivery, and nanomedicine. He has authored more than 600 peer-reviewed publications, which have garnered over 100,000 citations (h-index: 168), and has been recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate Analytics for nine consecutive years since 2016. His many accolades include the Clemson Award from the Society for Biomaterials (2004), the Founder's Award from the Controlled Release Society (2006), the NIMS Award from the National Institute for Materials Science (Japan, 2009), the Humboldt Research Award (2012), the Leo Esaki Prize (2012), the Gutenberg Research Award (2015), the Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund Prize (2017), the Biomaterials Global Impact Award (2023), and the Clarivate Citation Laureate in Chemistry (2023). He is an International Member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (since 2017), and a Fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Inventors (since 2017). In 2018, he was awarded the honorary degree Doctor Honoris Causa (Dr.h.c.) by Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany

Sébastien LecommandouxCollège de FranceInnovation technologique Liliane Bettencourt (2024-2025)Année 2024-2025Colloque - Advancing Biomaterials: Biomimetic and Biohybrid InnovationsPatrick Couvreur : Advanced nanomedicines for the treatment of severe diseasesPatrick CouvreurProfesseur invité, Collège de FranceRésuméEven if new molecules are discovered to treat severe diseases, the clinical efficacy of conventional chemotherapeutics is hampered by drug resistance and non-specific biodistribution. Advanced nanodevices may overcome some of these limitations. This will be illustrated by several advanced nanomedicine platforms: The design of biodegradable doxorubicin-loaded polyalkylcyanoacrylate nanoparticles for the treatment of the multidrug resistant hepatocarcinoma (a nanomedicine with phase III clinical trials ended).The construction of nanoparticles made of metal oxide frameworks (NanoMOFs), a highly hyperporous material obtained by the complexation of iron oxide clusters with diacids.The "squalenoylation", a technology that takes advantage of the squalene's dynamically folded molecular conformation, to link this natural and biocompatible lipid with drug molecules to achieve the spontaneous formation of nanoassemblies (100–300 nm). These squalene-based nanoparticles are using the circulating LDL as "indirect" carriers for targeting cancer cells with high expression of LDL receptors. The application of the "squalenoylation" concept to the treatment of cancer and neurological disorders will be discussed too.Patrick CouvreurPatrick Couvreur is a Professor Emeritus at Université Paris-Saclay and a member of the French Academy of Sciences. He held the Liliane Bettencourt Chair of Technological Innovation at the Collège de France in 2010 and is also a member of the Institut Universitaire de France (IUF). A world-renowned expert in drug delivery and nanomedicine, his research focuses on the use of nanotechnologies to develop targeted therapies for severe diseases, particularly cancer and central nervous system disorders. He has founded three start-ups, one of which was listed on the stock exchange and led the development of a nanomedicine that reached phase III clinical trials for the treatment of resistant hepatocellular carcinoma. Professor Couvreur is also a member of the French National Academy of Medicine, the Academy of Technologies, and served as President of the French Academy of Pharmacy in 2020. Internationally, he is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium, the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy in Spain, and the Japan Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology. He has received numerous prestigious awards both in France and abroad, including the Host Madsen medal, the CNRS Innovation Medal, the Galien Prize, and the European Inventor Award.

Sébastien LecommandouxCollège de FranceInnovation technologique Liliane Bettencourt (2024-2025)Année 2024-2025Colloque - Advancing Biomaterials: Biomimetic and Biohybrid InnovationsHarm-Anton Klok : Surface-Grafted Polymer Brush Films: Leveraging Structural Complexity For New Properties and FunctionsHarm-Anton KlokProfesseur, EPFLRésuméSurface-initiated polymerization is a unique way to produce thin, functional polymer films. As polymer chains are grown from surfaces that are modified with initiators or chain transfer agents to mediate chain growth, this process ensures a unidirectional growth and net parallel alignment of the polymer tethers. These surface-grafted polymer brushes have a complex nanoscale structure that is characterized, amongst others, by a non-uniform segment density profile. This presentation will highlight 3 examples of surface-grafted polymer brushes with unique non-biofouling and lubrication characteristics, as well as piezo- and pyroelectric properties, which demonstrate the intricate relationship between nanoscale structure and properties for surface-grafted polymer brushes.Harm-Anton KlokHarm-Anton Klok is Full Professor at the Institutes of Materials, and Chemical Sciences and Engineering at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) (Lausanne, Switzerland). He studied chemical technology at the University of Twente (Enschede, The Netherlands) from 1989 to 1993 and received his Ph.D. in 1997 from the University of Ulm (Germany) after working with Martin Möller. After postdoctoral research with David N. Reinhoudt (University of Twente) and Samuel I. Stupp (University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, USA), he joined the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (Mainz, Germany) in early 1999 as a project leader in the group of Klaus Müllen. In March 2003 he joined EPFL.

Sébastien LecommandouxCollège de FranceInnovation technologique Liliane Bettencourt (2024-2025)Année 2024-2025Colloque - Advancing Biomaterials: Biomimetic and Biohybrid InnovationsJan van Hest : Polymer-based artificial cellsJan van HestProfesseur, Eindhoven University of TechnologyRésuméCompartmentalization is generally regarded as one of the key prerequisites for life. To better understand its role, there is a clear need for model systems in which life-like properties can be installed. In this lecture I will discuss a synthetic cell platform composed of a complex polymer coacervate formed from oppositely charged amylose derivatives and stabilized by a semi-permeable polymer membrane. The coacervate structure resembles better the crowded environment observed in the cytoplasm than vesicular structures normally do. Cargo, such as enzymes, can be highly effectively loaded in the coacervates, based on complementary charge and affinity. This allows protocell communication with this robust synthetic platform. Using natural scaffolding proteins we can controllably take up and release proteins from the artificial environment, which mimics natural secretion. We have reconstructed the cellular architecture of a eukaryotic cell by incorporating multiple artificial organelles, both with membrane-bound and membrane-less architectures. Furthermore we have equipped the cells with an artificial cytoskeleton that allows us to modulate membrane dynamics and mechanical properties. Finally, we are able to incorporate life-like features such as motility in these structures, making this class of artificial cells a very versatile platform to study and mimic biological processes.Jan van HestJan van Hest obtained his PhD from Eindhoven University of Technology in 1996 with prof E.W. Meijer. After a postdoctoral stay with prof D.A. Tirrell, he joined the chemical company DSM. In 2000, he was appointed full professor in Bio-organic chemistry at Radboud University Nijmegen. As of September 2016 he holds the chair of Bio-organic Chemistry at Eindhoven University of Technology. Since May 2017 he is the scientific director of the Institute for Complex Molecular Systems. He is one of the main applicants of two gravitation programs on Functional Molecular Systems and Interactive Polymer Materials, and was awarded two ERC Advanced grants (2015 and 2024). He has been elected member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2019, the Academia Europaea in 2023 and was awarded the Spinoza premium in 2020. 65 PhD students have obtained their doctorate degree under his supervision, and he has published around 400 papers. He is also cofounder of four start-up companies. The group's focus is to develop well-defined compartments for nanomedicine and artificial cell research. Using a combination of techniques from polymer science to protein engineering, well-defined carriers and scaffolds are developed for application in cancer treatment and immunology.