There is now a true international economic competition to develop strategic and socio-economic solutions to manage our energy independence as well as our production of greenhouse gas emissions. One of them concerns the production of future low cost solar cells having high conversion efficiency, with the objective of achieving production costs below € 0.5/W by 2030 in Europe. It is in this context that the GENESE project proposes an original approach to allow the conversion of light using a combination of Atomic scale Si sensitizers and/or Ag nanoparticles and rare earth ions coupled to a nanostructuration of the substrate. The objectives are (i) to determine the feasibility of such structures for frequency conversion, and (ii) to identify the most promising structure for sensor such that it benefits from a high absorption cross section and an engineering of the spectral absorption. Such sensors offer a high potential for economic development since the different pathways studied in this project are compatible with the photovoltaic industry.

The present fundamental research and experimental development project is dedicated to the conception, realization and optimization of a hybrid lab-on-a-chip, coupling actuators and biosensors for the active control and broad range characterization of biofluids. The purpose of a lab-on-a-chip is to miniaturize and integrate macro-scale laboratory functions on a chip format. This scale reduction can lead to lower reagent volume consumption, massive parallelization of experiments and better process control. From an industrial perspective, this will entail substantial cost reduction, productivity increase, and reduction of the environmental impact. These advantages are very appealing for biomedical applications. From a scientific point of view, the design of a lab-on-a-chip dedicated to biofluids raises several fundamental and technological issues: - Some biosensors (like Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) biosensors) are extremely sensitive to temperature variations. It is therefore necessary to manipulate biofluids within a very narrow temperature range. - A second issue is the precise, real time and adaptive control of biofluid samples. Rayleigh surface acoustic waves (R-SAW) are a versatile tool for displacement, atomization, and mixing of fluids either on the surface of a solid substrate or trapped in confined geometries. However, actuation via acoustic waves can lead to a substantial increase in temperature in the fluid, notably at high viscosity. Finally, the miniaturization and coupling of several biosensors like SPR, microcalorimeter and Love type SAW (L-SAW) biosensors on a chip coupled with R-SAW actuators requires further research. In this project, we will therefore: 1) Investigate thoroughly the physics involved in R-SAW actuators (especially the nonlinear acoustofluidic coupling) to propose efficient original ways of controlling precisely the displacement, mixing and atomization of biofluids with a limited temperature increase. 2) Develop a programmable electronic unit for real time monitoring, adaptive control and characterization of biofluids through the synthesis of suitable complex wavefields. 3) Design and optimize a unique platform allowing droplet manipulation and parallel measurement of a large number of biofluids properties (temperature, pressure, viscosity, binding kinetics, structural characteristics of biomolecules) through the integration and coupling of SPR, L-SAW and microcalorimetry sensors. This highly transverse scientific project, with high potential industrial application, will benefit from the synergy between experts in acoustics, microfluidics, electronics, micro- and nano-fabrication and biophysics. This unique consortium will allow the treatment of both fundamental and technological aspects of this subject. The team will also capitalize on the skills and state of the art technological facilities (clean room, characterization center) of the LN2 (UMI-CNRS 3463), and the Institutes involved in the project.

Polymyxin E, also known as colistin, was used initially in humans for treatment of infections caused by Gram negative bacteria. Because of its nephrotoxicity, colistin was withdrawn from therapeutic use in humans. Nevertheless, with increasing microbial resistance to current antibiotics and the lack of new drug candidates in the pipeline, colistin has now been reintroduced into human therapy as a drug of last resort to treat multi-drug resistant Gram negative bacteria. Importantly, colistin is also used in pig farming and in overall veterinary medicine to control Escherichia coli post-weaning diarrhea, which could lead to major economic losses. Colistin is clearly of major importance for human and animal welfare and its utilization requires a better management in order to avoid selection of resistant strains. The main purpose of the Sincolistin project is to reduce drastically the amount of colistin used in pig farming through the development of novel, sustainable and innovative antibiotic products based on increasing the potency of colistin by addition of bacteriocins. Indeed, recent data from the coordinator's group have shown that colistin and bacteriocins, such as nisin and pediocin PA-1, can act synergistically against E. coli and other Gram negative bacteria. Taking advantage of this finding, formulations based on the use of colistin and bacteriocins will be developed and incorporated into chitosan nanoparticles (50-100 nm) and microspheres (5-20 µm), which will survive the harsh gastrointestinal environment and then be delivered on the appropriate infection site. Bacteriocins are safe and natural antimicrobials. They are heat stable and insensitive to pH variations, though liable to hydrolysis by proteases. Bacteriocins foreseen to be used in the Sincolistin project are pentocin LB3F2, pentocin LB2F2, bavaricin LB1F2, bavaricin LB14F1 and bavaricin LB15F1, recently isolated from lactic acid bacteria and characterized for their E. coli inhibitory activity. These bacteriocins will be assessed against a set of fully characterized colistin-susceptible and colistin-resistant E. coli isolates of swine origin obtained from the RESAPATH network, which is headed by ANSES. The bacteriocin with the higher anti-E. coli activity, designated bacteriocin X, will be characterized for its: a) Mode of action against E. coli, in order to determine the mechanism that provokes cell death. b) Ability to generate resistant mutants (frequencies of mutation vs. colistin) c) Mechanism of synergy with colistin d) Cytoxicity to porcine and human cells Bacteriocin X will be produced at larger scale after optimizing the growth conditions and determining the best parameters of production. The release and bio-accessibility of the different formulations (nanoparticles and microspheres) developed within the framework of this project will be studied in the TIM in vitro model of upper gastrointestinal tract of pig. Further, the impact of these formulations on the pig gut microbiota and the survival of colistin-susceptible and colistin-resistant E. coli isolates from swine origin will be determined in the ARCOL in vitro model of pig colon thereby establishing whether the formulations destabilize the microbiota to a lesser extent than colistin alone. Finally, the best formulation will be tested in vivo under controlled conditions in pigs, inoculated with colistin-resistant E. coli, to validate the concept and strategies developed within the framework of the Sincolistin project.

The goal of this project is to bring a technological breakthrough in the field of active flow control. The aim is more precisely to demonstrate a closed-loop control of a separation on a deflected flap (without slots), using innovative MEMS microactuators and micro-sensors after their development and validation. The breakthrough in this project essentially arises from the miniaturised MEMS devices, and in particular: 1) the originality of the configuration of the proposed actuator module, which will be constituted of a set of MEMS magneto-mechanical pulsed jets associated to a nozzle, and forming a complete 10cm long module of blowing rectangular slit integrated into a model for wind tunnel experiments; 2) the use of ultra-miniaturized (size < 100microns) and multi-parameter MEMS micro-hot wire sensors providing a simulatenous access in the same point (infra-millimeter-length characteristic size) to the dynamic pressure, the parietal friction, and the temperature; 3) the use of MEMS devices in a closed-loop control giving access to parameters experimentally non available up to now, both in terms of co-located physical quantities and in term of locations of the sensors (for example the flap trailing edge or the nozzle of an actuator). The project will also attempt to position the advantages of the MEMS technologies with respect to the more conventional sensors and actuators technologies. Finally, the elaboration of MEMS Sensors & Actuators, technology allowing a low cost mass production, and the demonstration of a reactive control over a representative and easily declinable configuration on other flow control applications, represent a significant increment in the rise in TRL of the closed-loop control technologies.

Worldwide, infections and death from SARS-CoV-2 continue despite lockdown and the use of masks. What started as a temporary sanitary issue, has morphed into a more permanent and long-lasting pan epidemic outbreak. One efficient manner to limit COVID-19 spreading and an adequate means of better managing the COVID-19 outbreak is through unrestrained availability of fast, efficient, accurate and cost-effective testing. We have recently developed CorDial-1, a Covid-19 electrochemical sensor screening the infection state of patients. While less infective than SARS-CoV-2, influenza is not only prone to occasional pandemics, but shows Covid-19 comparable symptoms such as fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Differentiation between both viral infections are not trivial. Here we propose CorDial-FLU, a novel and innovative solution to address this medical need through the development of nanobody based, portable and cost-effective viral diagnostic devices for influenza in parallel to SARS-CoV-2. To reach this goal, IEMN (UMR 8520, ULille, coordinator) brings in the surface functionalization and clinical tests methodology of the sensor chip. AFMB (UMR 7257, Aix Marseille Université) provides the consortium with their worldwide knowledge in nanobody (VHH) design targeting the nucleoprotein (NP), a highly conserved antigenic determinant for different influenza types as well as the spike proteins (S1 for Covid-19 and HA for influenza). The CHU-Lille directly performs the clinical validation, thanks to an already authorized clinical trial, to confirm at least equal sensitivity and specificity of CorDial-FLU for influenza virus detection in nasopharyngeal swabs and saliva, as compared with the PCR technique currently in use. The consortium will take advantage of an already authorized clinical trial (CorDial-1 ID RCB: 2020-A01147-32). The impact will be a fast (10 min), highly sensitive (200 VPs/mL), specific and inexpensive (<15 Euros) and portable (< 1kg) diagnostic device that provides positive/negative answers of infection state with Covid-19 and/or influenza A on site. Fast screening will allow early therapy and monitoring of positively diagnosed patients, thus reducing suffering and saving lives.