In its 2024 call for proposals, CY Initiative supported 17 innovative research projects. Let's take a closer look at one of the winning projects from the Horizon program, led by Michel Boissière, teacher-researcher and lecturer at CY Cergy Paris University, on the creation of biomaterials designed to be antimicrobial and inert to the immune system.
CY Initiative: Could you introduce yourself and tell us more about your career and your primary research themes?
I'm a senior lecturer in the ERRMECe laboratory, a biology laboratory focusing on interactions between the extracellular matrix and cells.
I am a chemist by training, specifically in materials chemistry. I'm particularly interested in the development of materials designed for implantation in biological tissues, known as biomaterials.
So, within the laboratory, I'm the coordinator of a research group on this theme. We are developing all kinds of biomaterials for different applications, and in particular materials developed to address bone deficiencies, a subject at the heart of my research.
In fact, I'm working on materials that can be implanted in the case of major bone loss, or in the case of mechanical bone replacement. These materials can take various forms: ceramic, metal, gels, polymers or bio-glass.
As part of these activities, a few years ago I was approached by a consortium of researchers who had started a project on the development of metal alloys for use in osteosynthesis materials. These are very common materials. For instance, in the case of fractures or accidents, the surgeon will implant screws and plates to hold the broken bone in place while it heals. These materials are commonly used. They are often made from either steel or titanium, and must have interesting properties in terms of mechanical resistance. Unfortunately, these osteosynthesis materials have several shortcomings, one of the most important being that they can be a potential source of infection. This is the focus of my research and the AntiMOD project.
CY Initiative: You won the CY Initiative 2024 call for proposals with AntiMOD. What does this project involve? And what is its objective?
In the biological ecosystem, biomaterials are prone to infection, sometimes three months, six months or even a year after grafting, at which point reoperation is required. This project aims to develop antimicrobial osteosynthesis materials that are intended to be inert, that do not trigger an immune response.
What we'd like to do is guard against this kind of problem, by first equipping the biomaterial with peptides that would prevent bacterial growth, facilitate tissue healing or stimulate vascularization, act as anti-inflammatories, etc. All these peptides already exist. All these peptides already exist; the real question is how to integrate them into biomaterials and make them active. The aim is to show that we have materials which are perfectly safe, and which, in the long term, will be able to prevent any form of infection or proliferation.
If we can demonstrate, within the framework of this project, that we can make metallic materials onto which antimicrobial peptides can be effectively grafted, this application could be applied to other fields. It's not hard to imagine tomorrow's food cans being coated with antimicrobial peptides.
CY Initiative: This project is based on collaboration between several laboratories. Can you tell us more about it?
This project involves five laboratories which will participate at various stages of the project. The first is the CNRS LSPM laboratory, specializing in alloys, and whose role will be to help us manufacture a tailor-made alloy onto which we can graft the peptides. Then there's the ITODYS laboratory, which will be involved in integrating the molecules onto the surface of the alloy through electrochemical processes. Next, the BioCIS laboratory at CY Cergy Paris University will be involved in the synthesis of these molecules, and a laboratory in Italy will help us design a device that will release the peptide under the action of a light pulse. Thus, when excited with a precise wavelength, they will give way and release the peptide so that it can have an antimicrobial action beyond the surface.
Finally, the ERRMECe laboratory will coordinate and assess the antimicrobial bioactive properties of the various devices that have been set up.
As part of this project, we have also partnered with Petlab, a platform dedicated to peptide synthesis and development. Together, we hope to develop antimicrobial peptides that can be grafted onto these alloys.
CY Initiative: In concrete terms, how will the project be rolled out?
The project will begin with the creation of the alloy, developed according to its mechanical and infrastructural properties. The ITODYS laboratory will then be in charge of integrating the molecule. The project is in fact based on two key deliverables: firstly, the metal substrate designed to host the antimicrobial peptides, and secondly, another substrate featuring peptides with light-sensitive molecules. Achieving these two deliverables will require considerable coordination between all the laboratories. We're also going to have to keep a regular eye on the regulations, find out what's feasible and what isn't, and so on.
To this end, we have recruited a doctoral student who will start work with us on this project in October, and who will initially work with the team responsible for alloy installation.
We hope that this project will serve as a springboard for subsequent funding applications with European partners in Italy, Sweden, Hungary, Bulgaria and Spain.
