Nicolas MINIER obtained his M.Sc with the “BME Paris” biomedical engineering program, and specialized in biomaterials (Paris Descartes university, ENSAM, and Mines ParisTech). He joined the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) at the University of Kyōto, where he worked on improving existing protocols for the differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in hepatocytes, relying on an organ-on-a-chip strategy.
Today, he puts a focus on microfluidics and its applications in biology, such as organs-on-chips. Since Jan. 2018, Nicolas joined the “Biomaterials and Microfluidics” platform of Institut Pasteur, and worked on a project relying on laser photoablation of soft hydrogels to create vascular-like strutures within 3D cell cultures.
Starting Sept. 2018 he is pursuing a Ph.D, with the goal to create a novel generation of hydraulically actuated hydrogel layers (HAHL) devices (patented, WO2019122434A1), to provide state-of-the-art models for investigating biological processes in microfluidic devices. The first application pursued concerns a “gut chip”, where most physico-chemical parameters are under the control of the operator.
