Last Friday, Djésia Arnone, Catherine Malaplate, Isabelle Grillier-Vuissoz and Fanny Kopp attended the Medical Research Congress of the Association de Prévoyance Santé (ADPS) in Lyon. The event provided an opportunity to present Co-MICI, a project led by Djésia Arnone, selected under the ADPS 2026 funding programme and co-funded by IHU INFINY, while also highlighting the scientific and human opportunities made possible through this valuable support.
🧫 Co-MICI: Developing Personalized Intestinal Barrier Models
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) are complex disorders characterized, among other features, by an impaired intestinal barrier and considerable interindividual variability, particularly in treatment response.
The Co-MICI project aims to develop innovative and personalized in vitro models of the intestinal barrier, capable of reproducing as closely as possible the complexity of the intestinal environment of patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
The project has a dual objective: to better understand the mechanisms involved in intestinal barrier dysfunction, and to explore the ability of these models to predict individual patient responses to treatment. In the longer term, this work could contribute to the development of tools that help guide therapeutic strategies more effectively and support a more personalized approach to patient care.
The development of these in vitro models is also part of an effort to provide increasingly relevant experimental approaches while reducing reliance on animal models.
🤝 A Highly Collaborative Project
Co-MICI is built on the complementary expertise of several researchers and a scientific collaboration involving, in particular, Djésia Arnone, Isabelle Grillier-Vuissoz, Catherine Malaplate, Benoît Chassaing and Malvyne Rolli-Derkinderen.
This collaborative dimension is central to the project. It brings together diverse approaches around a common goal, from understanding the fundamental mechanisms of the intestinal barrier to developing models that may ultimately provide valuable insights into treatment response.
🎓 Funding Leading to a New PhD Project
Beyond the scientific project itself, ADPS support has made it possible to reach a significant new milestone: Fanny Kopp is starting her PhD within the NGERE IBD team, working on the Co-MICI project.
Having already contributed to the development of the project’s experimental models, she will now continue and expand this work through her doctoral research. Her presence in Lyon alongside the team was therefore particularly meaningful: just a few days before beginning her PhD, she had the opportunity to help present a project made possible by this valuable support.
🎥 Co-MICI on Video: Inside the Project and the Laboratories
Together with Djésia Arnone and Fanny Kopp, this video offers a unique insight into the Co-MICI project, its objectives, the research being conducted on the intestinal barrier, and the scientific environment in which the project is being developed.
As part of this funding initiative, ADPS also chose to highlight the project through a video feature produced by Gilles Di Nardo for Humancom.
Filming was made possible thanks to the support of the Nancy University Hospital (CHRU de Nancy) and the Biological Resource Centre (BRC), which kindly opened their facilities to the production team, providing a close-up view of some of the resources and infrastructures that support our research activities.
🙏 Thanks to Our Partners and Supporters
NGERE would like to extend its warmest thanks to ADPS for its trust, financial support of the Co-MICI project, and for this wonderful opportunity to showcase our research. We would also like to thank IHU INFINY, co-funder of the project, as well as the Nancy University Hospital (CHRU de Nancy) and the Biological Resource Centre (BRC) for their contribution to this truly collaborative initiative. Finally, our heartfelt thanks go to all the researchers, clinicians, engineers, PhD students, and partners involved in this adventure.
Co-MICI is now entering a new phase with the start of Fanny Kopp’s PhD: three exciting years of research begin now! 🔬🎓
