The aim of the Forum is to put students in touch with the professional circles for which they are destined, through a range of activities over two days. Supported by the school, it's a highlight of Polytech's Biological Engineering program. It helps to clarify students' career plans and raises the profile of the school. The student-engineers organizing the event via the Proving Forum association are in their second year of engineering.
The 23rd edition on October 3 and 4, 2022 is dedicated to reparative biotechnologies in the service of health.
Restorative biotechnologies offer considerable hope for the treatment of certain pathologies. During the forum, students will be able to exchange ideas with companies and schools: Kedge Business school, IAE, Immunotech (Beckman Coulter), Novartis, Sartorius, Génosciences, Grand Luminy. Former Polytech Marseille students from the Biological Engineering and Biotechnology department will also be on hand to talk about their career paths.
This year, the Polytech Marseille engineering school is once again proud and happy to host the 23rd Biotechnology Forum organized by its students. This annual event has been disrupted by COVID-19 restrictions and bad weather over the past two years, but despite this, our students have adapted and, with their organizational talent, have ensured that it will take place, proving that it is a not-to-be-missed event in our industry. The Biotechnology Forum is firmly rooted in the pedagogical approach to our training of responsible engineers.
responsible engineers by applying their skills. Indeed, organizing the forum is an opportunity for our students to get involved in a highly formative project that brings them into contact with the professional world and encourages them to take responsibility and make their own decisions. I'm delighted to have this opportunity once again to get together for high-level applied science presentations and discussions on the professional careers of our engineering students.
Restorative biotechnologies in the service of health are featured in this year's forum. This theme is in line with one of the main thrusts of our training program, Health Biotechnology. In the field of health, the integration of biotechnology methods into medicine has led to the invention of new therapies and diagnostic methods. The COVID-19 antigenic test and new RNA-based vaccines are just two examples that are familiar to everyone today. Regenerative and restorative medicine is another challenge for Biotechnology, requiring the creation of complex tissues through tissue engineering and direct intervention in human cells through gene therapy. The discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells has removed a major lock on this technology. The invention and production of various types of innovative therapies is now a new field of application for Biotechnology in the service of humanity.
I am therefore convinced that the Biotechnology Forum will contribute to a better understanding of the challenges and potential of biotechnology in the service of restorative medicine, and I look forward to the discussions around the experiences and careers of our former and future engineers. I'd also like to thank all the industrial and professional participants who are accompanying this event, and hope that the days will be rich in encounters and exchanges. And 'last but not least' I'd like to thank all the Polytech staff and especially the team of organizers who made the 23rd edition of the Biotechnology Forum possible.Goetz Parsiegla, Director of the Biological Engineering Department
Program
Monday, October 3rd
Welcome from 9:00 am
9H30: Word from the Director
10H00-12H00: Career forum: exchanges with alumni of the field, who talk about their career paths and professions.
1:45pm - 2:45pm: Jeremy Magalon - Skin bioprinting, a clinical reality
Jeremy Magalon is currently a lecturer and hospital practitioner at the University of Aix-Marseille (Faculty of Pharmacy) and at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de La Conception (Department of Cellular Therapy). He specializes in regenerative medicine and cell therapy.
His lecture will present the various bioprinting technologies used to reconstitute tissues and organs in vitro with an architecture as close as possible to that of human physiological tissues. He will also present the project of Professor Sabatier's team, of which he is a member, working in collaboration with Poietis (a 3D bioprinting company) to carry out the first clinical trial of bioprinted skin implantation.
15:00-15:45: Baptiste Charbonnier - Additive manufacturing and reconstructive medicine
Over the past 20 years, advances in additive manufacturing have been the stuff of dreams. Additive manufacturing has raised great hopes in the medical field, from the production of anatomical models as educational tools, to preparation for complex surgeries or the creation of customized therapeutic solutions.
Today, the vast majority of clinical applications of additive manufacturing are in the dental and bone fields. Additive manufacturing has already improved patient care. However, despite extensive research aimed at achieving ambitious goals, we face many difficulties.
This raises the question of what additive manufacturing can really offer today, and what has already been achieved.
This presentation will start with the basics of additive manufacturing, then move on to an overview of the uses of its technologies for bone applications in a clinical context (from replacement to regeneration). Critical hurdles in the transition from additive manufacturing innovation and future developments will be detailed.
16:00-16:55: Company presentations. Companies and partners present on stands: Kedge, IAE, IGEM, Grand Luminy, Beckman Coulter, Sartorius, Génoscience Pharma, Consultys RA
Tuesday, October 4th
10:00-11:00: Stéphanie Cornen - Harnessing innate immunity in cancer therapy
Stéphanie Cornen is Senior Director of R&D at Innate Pharma. She specialized in oncology during her pharmacy studies, during which she obtained a PhD in molecular oncology. Innate Pharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in immuno-oncology.
During her talk, Ms. Cornen will present the latest advances in the field of immuno-oncology concerning the manipulation of the innate immune system to promote an anti-tumor immune response.
11:15-12:15: Christian Chabannon - Cancer immunotherapy
Christian Chabannon is head of the Cell Therapy Center in the Cancer Biology Department at the Institut Paoli Calmette in Marseille. The IPC treats cancer pathologies by bringing together treatment, research and training in oncology.
Christian Chabannon is also Professor of Cell Biology at the University of Aix-Marseille and coordinator of the Marseille Biotherapy Clinical Investigation Center. Regenerative medicine and immunotherapy in the fight against cancer are at the heart of his research, as he works on hematopoietic cell transplants, cell therapy and gene therapy.
During his talk, he will use various examples to explain how immunotherapy enhances a patient's immune capacities and helps control tumor progression.
14:00-14:20: Presentation of NOVARTIS
14:25-15:00: Presentation of the IGEM association
15H15-16H15: Leslie Caron - Cell therapy for neuropathic pain
Leslie Caron holds a PhD in cellular and molecular biology. After several post-doctorates at Harvard and the University of Sydney, she is now a researcher at the University of Aix-Marseille in the "epigenetics, chromatin and disease modeling" team. She specializes in stem cells, with over 20 years' experience in their application to disease modeling and regenerative medicine.
During her talk, Ms. Caron will explain what neuropathic pain is, and the ins and outs of her research into cell therapy to combat it.
16:30-17:30: Jean-Marc Lemaitre - What if old age was a disease, and could be cured?
Jean-Marc Lemaitre is Director of Research at INSERM. He heads the "Genome Plasticity and Aging" team at the Montpellier Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Biotherapies, of which he is co-director.
He is a specialist in cell biology, working in particular on tissue regeneration, with the aim of slowing down or reversing cell ageing, and thus correcting the deficiencies of ageing organs.
During his talk, he will describe the work carried out by his team and the advances they have made in understanding the mechanisms of aging and their study models, as well as strategies for slowing down or reversing aging, and the consequences for age-related pathologies.
Companies and partners with stands: Kedge, IGEM, Novartis, Consultys RA, Promega
