Lyonbiopôle brings together organizations fi ghting infectious diseases, still the prime cause of mortality worldwide. Micro and nanotechnology, which operates at the same size as the molecules and proteins that form the building bricks of disease, holds the promise of new ways of identifying and treating pathologies.

Between Grenoble-Isère’s nanobiotechnology and Lyon’s medical know-how, Jean Chabbal (head of the microtechnology for biology and healthcare department at CEA-Leti) sees «mutual gains refl ected in a scientifi c and industrial organization of global standing». From a technical point of view microsystems are just the right size for work in biological research, enabling direct intervention at the scale of molecules, antibodies and DNA.
For Christian Seux, CEO of Becton Dickinson France, «epidemiology is the most direct link between medicine and technology».
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Complementary know-how
For the last 10 years interaction has been growing between biologists at CEA and Joseph Fourier university and Leti physicists in a drive to dynamize innovation for the development of miniaturized biotechnology systems. The main objective of the Nanobio programme is to achieve technological breakthroughs in molecular biology, in particular to streamline diagnostics. This priority, essential in the treatment of infectious diseases, encouraged the installation of bioMerieux on Grenoble’s science park. The arrival of the Lyon-based firm among the research laboratories is a new step towards fostering complementary ties between applications, in medical diagnostics and the delivery of vaccines. Appropriately, vaccines are a key concern for Becton Dickinson, a world-class firm operating in the Grenoble area.

Lyon-Grenoble axis
The Lyonbiopôle world-class competitivity centre is stepping up collaboration between private industry and public research, confirming the determination of local authorities to develop partnerships between Rhône-Alpes’s two largest cities. Tristan Rousselle is the CEO of Protein’eXpert, a start-up with 30 employees specializing in recombinant proteins, an essential component in next-generation drugs.
He is sure small companies have an important part to play in Lyonbiopôle: «Our added value is our innovative approach, but it is of no use if it is not integrated in an industrial process.» Christian Seux, at the head of Becton Dickinson France’s 1,200-strong workforce, entirely agrees: «We turn to start-ups to validate emerging ideas, but the technical response must then be translated into a manufacturing process.» The competitivity centre enables research to be finalized by integrating it, from the moment it becomes a project, in a process culminating in international distribution. Projects can only emerge if they have access to new markets. In the near future Lyonbiopôle may indeed should serve as an example to others. As Jean Chabbal puts it: «The Lyon-Grenoble axis is valuable as an example, that can be reproduced elsewhere, in particular for cancer research.»