iSpheres

CREATOR OF INNOVATIVE MICROSPHERES

Offer

iSpheres is a French, Paris-based, deep tech company, and a spin-off from l’Ecole Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles (ESPCI), an internationally renowned engineering school and research centre in physics and chemistry.

iSpheres produces and markets high-precision magnetic and non-magnetic microspheres, adapted to client specifications, using microfluidic processes.  The company also commercialises micro-factories that produce microspheres.

In compliance with current and upcoming European regulations (REACH 2022), iSpheres uses plastic-free materials and applies Green Chemistry processes.

The products that are currently being developed focus on life-sciences applications such as the identification and capture of biomolecules, cells, or viruses as well as calibration of flow cytometers.

Calibrated
microspheres
Calibrated microspheres
iSpheres microspheres’ sizes are above 1 µm; they are monodisperse (CV < 10%); their composition is homogeneous from batch to batch.
Customised
microspheres
Customised microspheres
The physical and chemical properties of microspheres can be customized to meet customer specifications.
Eco friendly
materials
Eco friendly materials
Microspheres are created applying Green Chemistry processes and using sustainable materials in compliance with current and upcoming European regulations.
Mass production
Mass production
iSpheres’ current micro-factory has a production capacity of up to 10 kg/year for microspheres below 10 µm.

Technology

  • iSpheres produces microspheres ....

iSpheres uses microfluidic technology to mass produce calibrated emulsion droplets. These droplets act as seeds to create microspheres of standard size (> 1 µm) and a size distribution with a coefficient of variation less than 10 %.

3 µm magnetic microsphere with silica coating

  • ... that are plastic-free

iSpheres has developed a technology that creates microspheres using a wide range of plastic-free materials with many diverse physical properties (magnetic, optical, or fluorescent).

iSpheres also develops functionalized microsphere coatings that enable the grafting of biomolecules, thus providing very precise reagents for a wide range of life-science applications.

Mass production of droplets using the microfluidic processor developed by iSpheres.

  • ... that are plastic-free

iSpheres has developed a technology that creates microspheres using a wide range of plastic-free materials with many diverse physical properties (magnetic, optical, or fluorescent).

iSpheres also develops functionalized microsphere coatings that enable the grafting of biomolecules, thus providing very precise reagents for a wide range of life-science applications.

Mass production of droplets using the microfluidic processor developed by iSpheres.

History

Launching of a research program to apply microfluidic technology to the production of calibrated and functional microparticles. This program was carried out by the ESPCI Colloids and Divided Materials laboratory, led by Jérôme Bibette.

2010

Granting by The National Research Agency of a 7.1 M euros funding for a research program (DigiDiag) coordinated by ESPCI. A significant part of this grant was allocated to Jérôme Bibette’s team to develop microspheres, using microfluidic technology, that can be used for medical diagnostics.

2012

Filing of a patent
on biomimetic microparticles used for the calibration of flow cytometers.

2014

First demonstration of a microfluidic device for the mass production of microspheres.

2016

Creation of iSpheres,
a spin-off of ESPCI’s incubation program.

2017

Filing of a patent on an optimised microfluidic device for the mass production of calibrated microspheres.

Signing of a contract to develop specific microspheres with one of the world’s leading suppliers of equipment and reagents for the life-sciences industry.

2019

Signing of a contract with the same group for the industrial-scale supply of microspheres and micro-factories. 

 1 M euros are raised to accelerate iSpheres’ development.

2020

TEAM

The iSpheres founding team is composed of renowned scientists with a strong expertise in material science, hydrodynamics, but also in the development of instrumentation combining optical and physics of fluid.

They have published more than 200 articles in international peer-reviewed journals.

The team also has a solid experience in optimizing the value and commercializing the findings of its academic research. The team members have filed more than 100 patents and created several start-ups in the fields of materials and life sciences.

Philippe Nérin
École des Mines, PhD in Physics.
Founder
CEO

Jérôme Bibette
PhD in Physics and Chemistry.
Founder
R&D and Business Development

Nicolas Bremond
PhD in Physics.
Founder
R&D

Alexandre Turani-i-Belloto
PhD in Physics and Chemistry
R&D

Gaël de Barmon
Sciences Po, ESSEC. Investor
Business Development & Financing

Philippe Nérin

École des Mines, PhD in Physics, Co-founder
CEO

Philippe has more than 25 years of experience in the development of analytical equipment for the medical industry. He was Head of Research and Innovation for 10 years at the Japanese group Horiba, a world’s leading manufacturer of analytical instruments for the industry. He is President of SATT AxLR, a French publicly funded organisation that invests in ‘deep tech’ innovation and incubates startups. In 2012, Philippe received the Shinkinshi Horiba Award, one of Japan’s most prestigious scientific awards, for his contribution to innovation in the field of biological analysis for medical applications.

Jérôme Bibette

PhD in Physics and Chemistry, Co-Founder
R&D and Business Development

Jérôme is a renowned international expert in the field of Colloid Physics and Chemistry. He is the Director of the Colloids and Divided Materials Laboratory and of the Institute of Biological Chemistry and Innovation at ESPCI. He is the co-inventor of the microfluidic technology used by iSpheres. Jérôme is also a serial entrepreneur who co-founded 10 startups to industrialize the technical innovations he developed through his research. Jérôme was awarded the CNRS Silver Medal in 2000 and is an Honorary Member of the Institut Universitaire de France.

Nicolas Bremond

PhD in Physics, Co-founder
R&D

Nicolas is a Senior Lecturer at ESPCI. He joined the Colloids and Divided Materials Laboratory in 2005 where he developed an expertise in microfluidics and in the shaping of dispersed materials. He is the co-inventor of the microfluidic technology used by iSpheres.

Alexandre Turani-i-Belloto

PhD in Physics and Chemistry
R&D

Alexandre is an expert in polymer chemistry and particle synthesis processes in microfluidics. He has been a research and development engineer at iSpheres since 2019.

Gaël de Barmon

Sciences Po, ESSEC, Investor
Business Development & Financing

 

Gaël has more than 27 years of Private Equity experience, both in Europe and in Asia where he created and developed Natixis’ Private Equity business for 14 years.  He is currently Senior Advisor of Rothschild & Co for its Private Equity operations. Gaël invests in disrupting technology start-ups and actively supports their development.

Partners

Jobs

We are looking for talented people

Postdoc :
Creation of functional microspheres CBI-LCMD

ESPCI Paris PSL

Postdoc :
Micro-factory
CBI-LCMD

ESPCI Paris PSL

Contact

contact[@]ispheres.eu

 

10, rue Vauquelin – 75005 PARIS France