LANEF (
Laboratoire d'Alliances Nanosciences-Énergies du futur) is a Laboratory of Excellence that brings together five fundamental research laboratories based in Grenoble: Institut Néel, IRIG, G2ELab, LNCMI and LPMMC. It coordinates 740 scientists, engineers, technicians and 400 PhD and post-doctoral students in condensed matter, nanoscience and electrical engineering. LANEF identifies and supports common goals shared by these laboratories to address challenges in nanoscience, future energy, and nanosensors for health. It strengthens synergies between research teams and deepens links with R&D partners. Its strategic funding actions enable the acquisition of specific equipment and offer new opportunities for students and high-level scientists to join this dynamic scientific community.
The LaBex
GRAL (Grenoble Alliance for Integrated Structural and Cellular Biology) brings together three structures whose expertise is complementary: the IBS, the UVHCI and our institute. In total, GRAL has 660 people, including more than 400 statutory staff, for a total budget of about 42 M€.One of the major challenges of life sciences is to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying biological functions in their specific cellular context. Such a strategy is essential to advance our understanding of life, but also to advance biomedical research, develop biotechnologies and contribute to the progress of public health, for the benefit of the environment and the economy. The project will build an ambitious policy of research and innovation, valorization and training at the interface between cellular and structural biology, around two main research axes: the study of virus/bacteria interactions and cellular metabolism.
GRAL will develop the interfaces between biology, physics, chemistry, computer science and mathematics. A pilot project will be structured around two axes: the study of host-pathogen interactions (virus/bacteria), and the compartmentalization of cellular metabolism (chloroplast). The complex data produced on these biological systems thanks to high-throughput biology, structural and cellular biology tools, will be analyzed and exploited by implementing modeling approaches. The objective is to overcome many technological barriers to converge cellular and structural biology, and thus develop new concepts.
For our institute, GRAL has supported the development of platforms as well as two pilot scientific projects: one in the field of infectiology, the other in the study of chloroplast dynamics. Several actions launched by GRAL since its creation have been aimed at initiating new collaborations between the three institutes that make it up, thanks to incentive funding. A strategic reflection shared between IBS, UVHCI and IBS is thus consolidated.
The
ARCANE LaBex "Grenoble, a bio-motivated chemistry" develops the chemistry/biology interface in the Grenoble area by bringing together the resources of teams from the Saint Martin-d'Hères campus (CERMAV, DPM and DCM) and the GIANT campus (IRIG, DTBS), i.e. over 450 people. Two research axes are favored: bio-inspired chemistry (catalysis, sustainable chemistry, biocatalysts) and bio-motivated chemistry (biomolecular engineering, vectorization, therapy). The Chemistry and Biology of Metals laboratory of our institute participates actively in the management and scientific policy of the ARCANE LabEx, with the presence of the director on the board of directors and two permanent researchers from the laboratory on the scientific committee. The funding provided by this LaBex is largely devoted to the recruitment of doctoral and post-doctoral students (4 post-doctoral students and 1 doctoral student for our institute); the projects carried out by these students are intended to stimulate collaboration between the various partner laboratories. ARCANE interacts with the LabEx LANEF which supports fundamental research in Grenoble in the field of nanosciences and new materials.
In addition to these two LaBex, our institute is actively involved in a third, the
SERENADE (
Safer Ecodesign Research and Education applied to NAnomaterial Development),
in the Institute of Metals in Biology of Grenoble (IMBG ; 150 people from about 20 laboratories or teams in Grenoble), and the GIRC (Grenoble Institute of Cancer Research), which coordinates the cancer research activities of the IAB (Albert Bonniot Institute), our institute, the IBS, the GIN (Grenoble Institute of Neurosciences) and other local partners (CHU, Department of Chemistry of the UJF).
SERENADE includes two components (research and training) around the theme of nanomaterials. The main objectives of the research program are as follows
- to develop products containing nanomaterials or nanostructured materials that better take into account the risks (exposure and danger) throughout the life cycle
- to select the tests allowing a company to conceptualize the design by optimizing the parameters necessary for the marketing,
- develop innovative processes concerning the end of life: recycling, treatment of effluents and surface water.
The deciphering of major cellular mechanisms requires the characterization of the molecular actors involved in these mechanisms, in particular proteins. The project carried out by the National Proteomics Infrastructure (
ProFI) is part of this context; the aim of this project is to coordinate the work of the three main French proteomics platforms, including that of the BGE Laboratory of our institute (http://www.edyp.fr), in order to create a structure that can eventually be compared to the largest European centers in the field.
ProFI has received a grant of 15 million euros from the French government's investment program for the future. This grant finances an ambitious R&D program. In particular, ProFI has focused on the development of perfectly mastered software tools. These developments allow ProFI to offer an expert service in the field of Proteomics to the French academic and industrial communities in the framework of collaborations or services.
Several major innovation sectors are impacted by ProFI's work: (i) The pharmaceutical sector, due to innovations in the search for new protein biomarkers of pathologies (diagnosis, prognosis, companion biomarker) and in the development of new drugs (fine characterization of therapeutic proteins and evaluation of the purity of vaccines); (ii) The agri-food sector to allow to turn to a production with high economic and environmental value; (iii) The bio-production sector thanks to a technological offer in Proteomics that participates in a better understanding of the biological systems used.