Microfluidics Innovation Center

Last week, the MIC team participated in the kick-off meeting of a new and exciting EIC Pathfinder project: ERMES. As expected from a bona fide Pathfinder, ERMES explores a bold and original idea: Can we develop a method for information transfer between doctors and active implanted medical devices using synthetic molecular communication? 🤔 🔬 During the project, the consortium will work on designing molecular messengers and techniques for their injection and modulation within the vascular system. Furthermore, we will establish detection strategies for chemical messengers released by AIMDs. Finally, theoretical models will be developed to optimise communication links, alongside in vitro and in vivo testing to validate and refine the developed concepts. 🔬 💪 It’s an ambitious challenge, full of unknowns and possibilities, exactly what Pathfinder is meant for. We’re excited (and a bit humbled) to be part of this research, where the stakes are high but the potential impact is even higher. 📈 👉 From our team, Alan Morin, one of our star engineers, and Julia Sepulveda, our CEO, joined the meeting in Catania, Sicily, and came back full of energy. The vibe with the partners was immediately great, and we felt a strong alignment from the start. 🤩 Special thanks to NUNZIO TUCCITTO, the project coordinator, for putting together a really thoughtful kick-off: more like a working session than a formal meeting, which sparked real discussion and connection. 🤝 We’re looking forward to what’s ahead and feel lucky to be working with such a motivated and inspiring group. #microfluidics #innovation #collaboration #eufunding

Last week, we travelled to beautiful Freiburg in Germany to attend the DECHEMA 3D Cell Culture 2025 conference on Functional Precision Medicine. 🤩 The conference presented an excellent opportunity to exchange with the 3D cell culture community and learn about the role of advanced cell culture models in drug development, diagnostics and clinical applications. 💪 👉 The special focus on Precision Medicine showcased that 3D cell culture models will become indispensable for personalized treatment, especially in the field of advanced cancer. We presented a poster highlighting our advances in microenvironmental control of dynamic cell cultures, and our ability to make cell culture experiments independent of the CO2 incubator, developed for the Tumor-LN-oC project. If you want to know more, check out our application packs on the link in the comments! #microfluidics #sciencedissemination #collaboration #organonchip

Let's give a warm welcome to our new team member! 💛 Yeajin Ahn joined our team a few weeks ago as a Web Design Intern under the management of Celeste Chidiac! 🤩 👉 With a strong eye for detail and a great sense of aesthetics, she is enhancing our website design to create a more intuitive and visually engaging user experience. 💪 Her ability to spot the little things that make a big difference is already making an impact (Spoiler alert, check out our Team and Contact Pages 😉 )! We’re so happy to have you on board, Yeajin — welcome to the team! 

Continuing with the flow of events (pun intended 😬 ), last week, we were at the Flow Chemistry Europe 2025, in Malaga, Spain. Our goal was to see where microfluidics and flow chemistry intersected and better understand researchers' needs. We were also looking to expand the applications for our next-generation flow sensor, Galileo. 😎 It was a very fruitful experience, that gave us an in-depth perception of the nuances of the market! 🎯 👉 How about you? What are your main goals when going to conferences? #microfluidics #flowchemistry #innovation #partnership

The MIC attended the EIC Summit in Brussels this week as beneficiaries of multiple EIC grants (3 Pathfinders - THOR Project EU, Bio-HhOST and ERMES project, and 1 Transition - Galileo!). 😎 We enjoyed networking meetings, round tables, tech exhibits, panel discussions and a high-profile plenary, all exploring technology and innovation in Europe. 💪 👉 We heard about many EIC initiatives and programs available for beneficiaries to guide exploitation and maximise impact. The opportunity to engage with so many innovation leaders and to have our feedback included on the direction of the program were just some of the many highlights! 📈 #microfluidics #innovation #partnerships #EICSummit25

Last week, we ventured into a room of kids (3-10 years old), parents and caregivers with our Galileo flow sensor (GFS) and some other fun microfluidic experiments to talk about water flow and measurements in every day life. The kids readily engaged with the sensor, marvelling that it is possible to “see” how fast water moves inside it. They enthusiastically tested it themselves with a water-filled syringe, and vied to reach the highest number on the integrated screen (max flow rate). They also played with capillary flow seeing coloured water move through paper and surface tension and membrane formation with soap bubbles! The visit provided a great opportunity for learning discovery through play and nice feedback for us! Our PhD candidates, Yuwei Liu and Mukesh Kumar, from projects NEXTSCREEN-MSCA and DarChemDN were also there to work on their scientific dissemination skills. We were amazed at their intuitive ability to “gamify” the sensor, aiming to beat their best “scores” and race their friends to get water to the outlet first! Kids just wanna have fun! #nextgenscientists  #sciencefun4everyone #microfluidics #sciencedissemination

🌍 Re-cap of the 2024 #soilsampling campaign by EDAPHOS🌱 An essential part of our mission to restore contaminated soils through nature-based solutions, the #EDAPHOS team follows standardized protocols, including the LUCAS protocol with specific adaptations for #EDAPHOS, ensuring high-quality, representative soil samples. Using soil corers and augers, we gathered around 60 kg of composite samples from 30-60 spots at each site, meticulously labelled and documented for accuracy. In Spain for example (case study 3), the campaign included advanced hyperspectral airborne acquisitions and biodiversity surveys, with ONERA - The French Aerospace Lab leading the spectral measurements and soil sampling at the Poderosa control site, in collaboration with CSIC. The collected samples undergo thorough analyses to determine the types of contaminants present and assess their impact on soil health: 🌱 Physico-chemical analyses: Detecting contaminant levels 🌱Biological analyses: Evaluating ecotoxicity and ecological health indicators. These findings are key to the project's ecosystem risk assessment (ERA) and the implementation of the Triad approach—integrating physico-chemical, ecotoxicological, and ecological data for a comprehensive view of soil health and contamination. The results of this campaign guides the development of tailored remediation strategies, advancing the European Commission "Soil Deal for Europe" initiative. Not only are we addressing immediate soil contamination, but we're also promoting long-term ecological sustainability and resilience. Through collaboration, innovation, and community engagement, the EDAPHOS project is paving the way for healthier, more sustainable soils. INERIS Amphos 21 Główny Instytut Górnictwa - Państwowy Instytut Badawczy LGI Sustainable Innovation Phytowelt GreenTechnologies GmbH Microfluidics Innovation Center ONERA - The French Aerospace Lab UBFC - Université Bourgogne-Franche-Comté EVOTROPIA Ecological Finance Architectures Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna #EDAPHOS #SoilRestoration #SoilHealth #EnvironmentalSustainability #MissionSoil #NatureBasedSolutions

Have questions about the 215-day ceiling in Horizon Europe reporting? Wondering how to handle costs incurred after the project ends? 🤔 Great news! The updated Annotated Grant Agreement (AGA) now includes clarifications on these topics and more. 🎉 Take a look and stay up to date! A big thanks to Martin Baumgartner for sharing this valuable update! 💪 #EUprojects #HorizonEurope #Funding #GrantManagement

Keeping up with the cool events announced this week, we will be at the Flow Chemistry Europe 2025 in Malaga, 3-4 of April. 🎯 👉 Flow chemistry and microfluidics have a lot in common. So, we want to find out how we can bring flow chemistry to the next level! Do you know the answer? 🤔 Pass by Table 3 in the exhibition hall to tell us about it! 😉 Also, we have a Flash Presentation in the Industrial Session, to showcase some of our results and possibilities to you!  Thursday, April 3rd, 17h20 -> Be sure not to miss it! 😎 Who's going to be there?

As finalists of Forum Labo's LabStartup Challenge, we joined 9 other startups exhibiting their work at the event that started yesterday! 😎 Exploring the booths and talking to many different people has been a great experience so far! 🤩 👉 We are also here today and tomorrow! So, pass by to grab a goodie and have a chat. 😉 🎯 And we need your help! Vote for us with the QR Code (link in the comments) for startup coup de coeur ! 🎯