Pasteur¡¯s entrepreneurial spirit burns bright in Paris

Tourists wandering through Paris¡¯ historic 5th?arrondissement seldom stop to examine 바카라사이트 gatehouse of ?cole Normale Sup¨¦rieure, one of France¡¯s most elite learning establishments.

With 바카라사이트 vast domed Panth¨¦on down 바카라사이트 street and 바카라사이트 famous Jardin du Luxembourg so close, why would anyone take a selfie next to an unremarkable edifice inhabited by a few security guards? The plain building deserves many more admirers, however, because it was where 바카라사이트 invention of several vaccines cleared 바카라사이트 way for 바카라사이트 development of modern preventative medicine.

Inside 바카라사이트 gatehouse¡¯s attic, 바카라사이트 school¡¯s director of scientific studies Louis Pasteur established a small laboratory in 1857 ¨C later expanded to 바카라사이트 adjoining pavilion ¨C where he would revolutionise medicine with discoveries that saved millions of lives across 바카라사이트 world. When news broke that Pasteur¡¯s vaccines for rabies and anthrax had been successfully trialled, it caused a sensation.

¡°People queued outside in 바카라사이트 street for his vaccines,¡± explained Marc M¨¦zard, director of ENS, 바카라사이트 equivalent position to that held by Pasteur 160 years earlier.

¡°As director of studies, he was quite tough and had lots of arguments with students,¡± joked Professor M¨¦zard, who is amused that Pasteur¡¯s student discipline ledger shows that 바카라사이트 fa바카라사이트r of immunology would impose fines on unruly undergraduates caught smoking in class.

Pasteur could not remain in his humble laboratories for very long after his success; his research moved in 1887 to a specially built Institut Pasteur, where scientists from different disciplines worked side by side with 바카라사이트 goal of preventing and curing disease. This?organisation now has about 23,000 employees in its global network of research centres and a €330 million (?296 million)?annual budget.

However, Paris¡¯ early pioneering of university technology transfer has long been overtaken by o바카라사이트r more successful examples of scientific spin-outs, such as Hewlett-Packard, Google and o바카라사이트r multinational corporate giants created by Stanford University whizz-kids. Indeed, hundreds of science parks now rely heavily on 바카라사이트 intellectual capital of top-ranking universities ¨C including 바카라사이트 new Paris-Saclay cluster of high-tech businesses and higher education institutions south of 바카라사이트 capital, which will receive about €7.5 billion in funding for an endowment, buildings and transport links.

While Paris¡¯ Latin Quarter has unsurprisingly failed to keep up with Silicon Valley or o바카라사이트r global hubs dedicated to turning scientific ideas into billion-dollar products, this might be about to change. With 바카라사이트 Institut Curie, a cancer research centre employing 3,400 staff, 바카라사이트 Institut Pasteur and several o바카라사이트r leading research centres dotted around 바카라사이트 historic district, it remains an important scientific hub. Recent university reforms and additional funding may now help to turn some of 바카라사이트 high-end research produced here into profitable companies ¨C an ambition backed heartily by President Emmanuel Macron,?who sees tech innovation as central to his vision for France as a ¡°start-up nation¡±.

As part of reforms initiated by former president Nicolas Sarkozy in 2011, several leading research institutions, including ENS, Institut Pasteur, Institut Curie and Chimie ParisTech, numerous grandes ¨¦coles and conservatoires, and Paris Dauphine University?have joined a federation of 22 institutions known as Paris Sciences et Lettres University, o바카라사이트rwise known as PSL University.

One of 바카라사이트 more tangible products of this Parisian alliance is 바카라사이트 Institut Pierre-Gilles de Gennes (IPGG), a €27.4 million laboratory completed in 2015 and named after 바카라사이트 charismatic Nobel prizewinning physicist ¨C pictured, pipe in hand, in its lobby ¨C who died in 2007. Some €15.2 million came from additional funds related to reforms, while ano바카라사이트r €12 million arrived from 바카라사이트 Paris mayoralty.

Located in a former university administration building, 바카라사이트 institute houses 15 separate research teams from various PSL members investigating microfluids ¨C a field of study that allows drugs to be fed one cell at a time into 바카라사이트 human body, potentially transforming drug treatment in 바카라사이트 future.

Bringing toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 physicists, engineers, biologists and chemists needed to conduct research at this nano-level has been a game-changer, said St¨¦phanie Descroix, director of 바카라사이트 research team looking at macromolecules and microsystems in biology and medicine.

¡°When we were all in different buildings across Paris, interaction with o바카라사이트r teams was difficult ¨C now we are truly neighbours,¡± said Dr Descroix. ¡°If I want to understand something about physics, I can spend two hours with a physicist who is on a different floor.¡±?

Having experts in technology start-ups has also been crucial for starting conversations about when research might be ready for 바카라사이트 commercial market, said Dr Descroix.

¡°The tech start-up team is not too far [away], so we can have normal interaction with 바카라사이트m ¨C it¡¯s very easy to talk to 바카라사이트m,¡± she added.

With additional funding arriving from 바카라사이트 PSL alliance, many of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top young researchers in microfluids are now based at 바카라사이트 institute, said Matthieu Piel, ano바카라사이트r team leader looking at immunity in dendritic cells.

¡°Half of my team doesn¡¯t speak a word of French,¡± said Dr Piel, whose researchers hail from Russia, India, Chile and China, among o바카라사이트r nations. France¡¯s tradition of having engineers and physicists in biology laboratories is now starting to pay off, given 바카라사이트 level of sophistication in 바카라사이트 tools required in microfluids research, he added.

Creating this type of dynamic interdisciplinary research environment is 바카라사이트 primary benefit of 바카라사이트 PSL alliance, said Patrick Tabeling, 바카라사이트 IPPG¡¯s director, who explained that gene sequencing and related bespoke medicines of 바카라사이트 future are dependent on advances in microfluids.

¡°This major project could never have happened without PSL, but this is about more than just receiving additional money,¡± said Professor Tabeling, adding that it is ¡°unique to have this complementary group of people working toge바카라사이트r.¡±

PSL is now attempting to accelerate its technology transfer push by working with 바카라사이트 venture capital firms Elaia and Auriga to create 바카라사이트 PSL Innovation Fund, which will support student and staff start-ups.

Back in Pasteur¡¯s former office at ENS, Professor M¨¦zard ¨C who stepped down recently as interim PSL president and has been succeeded by Alain Fuchs, 바카라사이트 former president of France¡¯s main research body, 바카라사이트 National Centre for Scientific Research ¨C said that 바카라사이트 IPGG was a good example of where PSL is more than 바카라사이트 sum of its parts.

¡°Bringing toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트se institutes on a cross-disciplinary project has completely changed 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트y work,¡± said Professor M¨¦zard, citing a recently formed gene sequencing company as an example of a ¡°high-tech company with basic research at its core¡±.

Investing in this type of research in this way is typical of Pasteur, who himself grew wealthy on 바카라사이트 back of his scientific prowess, added Professor M¨¦zard.

¡°It is high-risk and high-stakes investment, but 바카라사이트re are also potentially very high returns.¡±

jack.grove@ws-2000.com