Report on #UniStemDay 2025 at the Institut Pasteur

UniStem Day, coordinated by the University of Milan for more than 15 years, is the largest event in Europe for dissemination and outreach on stem cell science. The aim of this unique initiative is to encourage high school students to develop their scientific knowledge and awaken their curiosity by presenting them with the latest advances in research.

The Revive LabEx took part in the event once again this year, organizing a scientific conference at the Institut Pasteur that offered students in their penultimate year of high school (from Notre-Dame Les Oiseaux and ENC Blomet high schools) a unique inside view of research. The students were given the opportunity to experience the world of research by becoming scientists for a day.

The 2025 edition focused on developmental biology and stem cells, highlighting the wide-ranging research carried out at the Revive LabEx. The morning got under way with an introduction to stem cells and hematopoiesis, presented by Elisa Gomez Perdiguero, a team leader at the Institut Pasteur. Walter Habeler, a scientist at I-Stem and partner of the Revive LabEx, shared the latest progress in clinical research on retinopathies.

The students then took to the floor to present scientific journals in the form of oral presentations and posters, with a panel of experts to judge their efforts. The topics covered, which ranged from myopathies to cancer to the influence of the microbiota on depression, illustrated the breadth and importance of stem cell research.

The afternoon featured a "speed meeting" session with various research professionals, giving the students a chance to explore the diversity of professions within a single research institute.

UniStem Day 2025 was attended by more than 30,000 high school students worldwide, via 97 universities and research institutes in Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Many thanks to all the speakers, professors and students for their participation in this rewarding experience! The organizers would particularly like to thank the panel: Frank Yates (SupBiotech), Karim Ben M'Barek (I-Stem), Joana Esteves de Lima (Institut Henri Mondor), Maeva El-Zaiat (Institut Pasteur), François Le Guerroue (Institut Pasteur), Coline Jost-Mousseau (ICM), Eleni Siopi (UPC), Brendan Evano (Institut Pasteur), Ramy Elsaid (Institut Pasteur), Amélie Bonnet-Garnier (INRAE) and Elise Delage (SupBiotech).

Thanks also to the participants in the speed meeting for their involvement and their enthusiasm: Sara Ortica, Christophe Thomas, Soumia Abdellaoui, Delphine Tarrete, Marie Martin, Laurianne Temime, Ghislain Banos (EFS), Shauna Katz, Kevin Gateau, Julie Allouche, Sandrine Royer-Devaux, Elric Esposito, Morgan Gazzola (I-Stem), Vania Rosas and Vincent Laville.

This event, coordinated by the Revive LabEx, was made possible with the support of SupBiotech, the Institut Pasteur, the ANR and DIM ELICIT.