Results of the 2020 Sanofi iAwards Europe call for proposals

Caroline Demangel and Sylvie Garcia recognized by the 2020 Sanofi iAwards Europe

Following on from the success of the first and second "Sanofi iAwards Europe" calls for proposals, the Sanofi group launched the third edition in December 2019. The aim of the iAwards is to provide 12 months of funding for innovative research in a therapeutic field which still requires proof of concept before it can be applied in human medicine.

After the 12-month period, the possibility of an R&D partnership with Sanofi scientists may be discussed. The iAwards are geared towards the development of new treatments, and projects on preventive vaccines are not eligible.

Some 198 preliminary proposals from 18 academic research organizations in France, Germany, Israel and the United Kingdom were submitted early this year, including six proposals from the Institut Pasteur.
In line with the timetable for this new 2020 call for proposals, a first selection round was held (March 5, 2020), during which a total of 42 preliminary proposals (three for the Institut Pasteur) were selected by the Sanofi experts, and the corresponding researchers were invited to submit a detailed proposal. Finally, after the second selection round (May 11, 2020), 14 proposals were approved by the Joint Scientific Steering Committee for the 2020 Sanofi iAwards Europe, ten of which were from French institutions.

Two Institut Pasteur projects were selected:

• The project led by Caroline Demangel, Head of the Immunobiology of Infection Unit, exploring the inhibition of protein translocation as a new therapeutic avenue for cancer.

• The project led by Sylvie Garcia, a scientist in the Biology of Host-Parasite Interactions Unit (led by Artur Scherf), proposing the use of new humanized mice as models for research into human blood disorders such as sickle cell disease.