Diabetes is a major public health problem, affecting 1 in 11 adults by 2021. Ten per cent of these patients suffer from type 1 diabetes (T1D), which is a chronic metabolic disease linked to the active autoimmune destruction of insulin-secreting β cells in the islets of Langerhans by the activation of T cells. Despite technological advances over the last few decades to improve the management of diabetes, such as glucose monitoring, insulin pumps and closed-loop systems, there is no cure for T1DM. One therapeutic strategy proposes transplanting donor pancreatic islets into patients with type 1 diabetes in order to restore their capacity to secrete insulin, thereby re-establishing endogenous glycaemic regulation without continuous self-monitoring of plasma glucose and without daily injections of exogenous insulin, thereby improving patients' quality of life. Our objectives are therefore to design, prototype and validate a microfluidic platform with monitoring and multisensing approach enabling the study of interactions between transplanted islets and immune cells isolated from the islet recipient, as a predictive tool for clinicians of islet transplant rejection and immune relapse and/or loss of efficacy of immunosuppressive treatment.

The candidate will contribute to the development of the integration of electrochemical sensors in microfluidic systems applied to the field of organ-on-chip, including microfluidic chips, biological object culture modules and associated instrumentation.

Your activities will include:

·       Consideration of the integration of electrochemical sensors into microfluidic chips, taking into account constraints relating to biology, materials, manufacturing methods, instrumentation, etc.

·       Setting up a test environment

·       Evaluation of sensor performance in terms of sensitivity and selectivity

·       Experimentation with or without a biological object

·       Analysis and synthesis of results

·       Technological and scientific survey

The candidate will also contribute to the promotion of transversality with other CEA laboratories. In a multidisciplinary context, he/she will maintain close relations with the project partners, in particular experts in cell biology, and will work closely with microfluidists and biologists to move towards the integration of sensors in systems for culturing biological objects. He or she will also be able to draw on our teams' expertise in biology, microfluidics and surface grafting.

The candidate will also be required to publish his/her work and register patents.

You got an Engineer (MSc) and/or Doctor (PhD) Degree in electrochemistry, analytical chemistry or physical chemistry and you have a strong expertise in electrochemical sensors, biosensors, production processes and materials.

Some knowledge of biopolymers, production techniques, design and microfluidics are good assets together with an experience in organs-on-chips.

You are excited by a multidisciplinary environment and technological innovation. You show commitment and have a result-oriented mindset to achieve your projects.

You make suggestions, you are fully autonomous and have strong capabilities to adapt to different projects. Driven by the experimental work, you can work in a team.

Excellent relationships are necessary in order to interact and collaborate with various activity colleagues. Rigor, dynamism, organization and team spirit will be highly appreciated. Fluent English is required.

If this position meets your skills and your professional expectations, please send your application (resume, cover letter and references) to: yohann.thomas@cea.fr