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Descroix-Vernier EthicScience Prize 2025: 110,000 euros for non-animal research, 3 promising and innovative research projects rewarded

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The Descroix-Vernier EthicScience Prize (DVES): promote cutting-edge medical research in France

On 28 March 2025, the Comité Scientifique Pro Anima and the Fondation Descroix-Vernier rewarded three of the most innovative and promising scientific projects not using animals for medical research. The ceremony was held under the patronage of Senator Arnaud Bazin at the prestigious Palais du Luxembourg, in Paris.

pro anima

This highlight of cutting-edge biomedical research projects aims to provide a better response to the human and global health challenges of the 21st century, while also taking better account of ethical, competitiveness and sovereignty issues.

Bringing together more than a hundred guests representing the wealth and complementarity of the different health sectors (toxicology, biomedical research, veterinary medicine, cosmetics), the ceremony unveiled the winning projects of this 2025 edition.

Chaired by Dr Jean-Pierre Cravedi, toxicologist and former expert with ANSES and EFSA, the Selection Committee for the interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral Prix Descroix-Vernier EthicScience (DVES) 2025 had deliberated on 2 December last year; the winners having been kept secret since then. 

Three projects awarded / The 2025 Laureates: between excellence and innovation

The Descroix-Vernier EthicScience Prize rewards programmes in three categories:

  • Innovation (new concepts and technology transfer): 50,000 eur
  • Development and applicability (practical research): 50,000 eur
  • Jury Prize: Forward-looking project (support from the selection committee): 10,000 eur.

All have in common the deployment of new cutting-edge tools and technologies for medical research and thus better respond to the need for knowledge and/or new treatments to treat human pathologies; this, without the need for any experimentation on animals.

The Innovation Prize was awarded to

  • "Neuron as a sensor" led by Dr Benoit Maisonneuve and Dr Thibault Honegger of Lyon-based start-up NETRI.

The Development and Applicability Prize was awarded to

  • "PDAC on a chip", Understanding drug efficacy constraints through modelling of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) led by Prof Halima Alem-Marchand, from the Université de Lorraine-CNRS and co-sponsored by Dr Lina Bezdetnaya, from the Lorraine Cancer Institute.

The Jury Prize was awarded to

  • "ObFAT-3D", Human tissues ex vivo 3D to mimic obese adipose tissue led by Dr Vincent Dani and Dr Luigi Formicola of Nice-based start-up ExAdEx-Innov.

Further information

Detailed press release by Comité Scientifique Pro Anima and the Fondation Descroix-Vernier, 28 March 2025 (PDF)