Projects and Collaborations

Analysis of the mechanical and biological mechanisms that may determine skin intolerance induced by repeated friction of compression textiles on the skin.

Funded by the Pack Ambition Recherche programme, the project studies the interactions between compression textiles and skin to understand the mechanisms of friction-related skin intolerance. It aims to design high-performance textiles that respect skin health.

Coordination

• Jérôme Molimard

Context and Challenges

Compression textiles are widely used in medical contexts (compression therapy for venous disorders, treatment of hypertrophic scars) and sports (muscle recovery) and can lead to skin intolerance (irritation, inflammation) due to friction and prolonged pressure. The TolSkin project explores the mechanisms underlying these reactions to propose appropriate solutions.

Main Objectives

• Analysis of Mechanical Mechanisms
  • Study the frictional forces generated by textiles on different areas of the skin.
  • Characterize the mechanical properties of skin under compression and their evolution in response to repeated stress.
• Investigation of Biological Mechanisms
  • Identify the cellular and molecular responses of the skin to chronic mechanical stress (inflammation, tissue remodeling).
  • Analyze the effects of these stresses on the skin barrier and the skin microbiota.
• Development of Optimized Textiles
  • Define design criteria to reduce friction and skin reactions.
  • Test and validate textile prototypes suited to medical and sports requirements.

Methodology

• Experimental Approaches
  • Laboratory measurements of skin-textile friction using specialized equipment.
  • Biological tests to assess inflammatory responses and skin alterations under simulated conditions.
• Biomechanical Modeling
  • Creation of numerical models to simulate the mechanical interactions between skin and textiles.
  • Integration of biological data into multi-scale simulations.
• In Vivo and In Situ Validation
  • Studies on volunteers to confirm experimental observations and validate prototype textiles.

Applications and Impacts

• User Health and Well-being
  • Reduction of irritation and discomfort associated with compression textiles.
  • Improvement of therapeutic and sports compliance.
• Textile Innovation
  • Development of smart compression textiles that respect skin health.
  • Applications in the medical, sports, and wellness sectors.
• Scientific Advances
  • A thorough understanding of the mechano-biological interactions between skin and textile materials.
  • New approaches for the design of biomedical and functional textiles.

Expected Impact

The TolSkin project aims to transform practices in the field of compression textiles by combining fundamental science and applied innovation. It is fully aligned with the research efforts of the STBio department to improve interactions between biomedical materials and biological tissues, while addressing concrete health and comfort issues. This project reflects an interdisciplinary collaboration between biomechanics, biology, and textile engineering, at the forefront of technologies serving health.

The TolSkin project aims to transform practices in the field of compression textiles by combining fundamental science and applied innovation. It is fully aligned with the research efforts of the STBio department to improve interactions between biomedical materials and biological tissues, while addressing concrete health and comfort issues. This project reflects an interdisciplinary collaboration between biomechanics, biology, and textile engineering, at the forefront of technologies serving health.

Development of multi-scale digital twins to study age-related arterial stiffening and pave the way for vascular “rejuvenation” approaches.

Funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under Horizon 2020 (grant agreement 101141644), JuvenTwin proposes an approach based on multi-scale digital twins to better understand, and then attempt to reverse, the increase in arterial stiffness during aging, by targeting mechanical regulation mechanisms at the level of vascular cells.

Coordination

• Stéphane Avril, project leader and coordinator (Director of SAINBIOSE)

Context and Challenges

Vascular aging is a major factor in chronic diseases. Increased arterial stiffness reduces the ability of arteries to absorb pressure fluctuations, which can precede hypertension and contribute to serious pathologies.
This arterial stiffness is particularly associated with:

• cerebrovascular diseases and dementia (reported in 15% of people over 65), via cerebral vascular micro-damage involved in pathologies such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.
• heart diseases (reported in 35% of people over 65 on the project page), via left ventricular overload that can lead to heart failure;

Main Objectives

The central objective of JuvenTwin is to restore stable mechanical regulation in arteries when it is altered by aging, based on:

• Analysis of mechano-regulation mechanisms
  Understand how arterial cells manage mechanical forces.
• Understanding the aging of this regulation
  Identify the processes responsible for its progressive degradation with age.
• Towards personalized solutions
  Explore patient-specific solutions to effectively restore this regulation.

Methodology

• Multi-scale digital twins
  Construction of numerical models ranging from the cellular level to the organ level to reproduce the behaviors and interactions involved in arterial stiffening.
• Modeling of mechano-biological couplings
  Study of interactions between mechanical forces and complex biological processes (e.g., inflammation, gene expression) to evaluate vascular “rejuvenation” strategies.
• Securing approaches
  Support through advanced numerical models to analyze these interactions and contribute to the development of effective and safe therapies.

Applications and Impacts

• Prevention and public health
  Contribution to preventive therapies against arterial stiffening and to extending healthy life.
• Personalized medicine
  Support for the identification of individualized solutions through multi-scale modeling.
• Scientific and technological advances
  Development of multi-scale digital twin technology applied to living systems, at the heart of the innovation driven by JuvenTwin.

Expected Impact

Ultimately, JuvenTwin aims to advance the understanding of vascular aging by proposing numerical tools capable of informing—and potentially guiding—new prevention strategies against arterial stiffening. Through its multi-scale approach, the project is aligned with the research of the STBio department on biomechanics and modeling of living systems, serving major health challenges.

Development of a real-time perineal monitoring device during childbirth, combining sensors, mechanical biomarkers, and digital twins, to predict the risk of perineal trauma and prevent pelvic floor disorders.

Funded by the European Union (Horizon Europe / EIC Pathfinder, grant agreement 101186212), PelviTrack aims to provide medical teams with objective and actionable real-time data to guide decisions during vaginal delivery, reduce trauma, and limit long-term consequences (pain, incontinence, prolapse, sexual dysfunction).

Coordination

• Stéphane Avril (Mines Saint-Étienne) – European collaborative project.

Context and Challenges

Pelvic floor disorders (PFD) represent a major health challenge: they affect approximately 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men, with significant impacts on quality of life.
One of the main risk factors is perineal trauma during childbirth: up to 90% of vaginal deliveries result in perineal tears, with no real-time diagnostic/prediction tool available in routine clinical practice.

Main Objectives

• Predict the risk of perineal trauma in real time
  Develop a predictive tool to anticipate tears during childbirth.
• Define relevant mechanical biomarkers
  Identify measurable indicators of tissue behavior for live monitoring.
• Build multi-approach models and digital twins
  Couple biomarkers, modeling, and digital twins to assess tissue behavior in real situations.
• Move from laboratory to clinical use
  Adapt a lab-scale solution to a device compatible with the delivery room environment, then validate the approach.

Methodology

• Experimental Approaches (Ex Vivo / Preclinical)
  • Ex vivo studies to define mechanical biomarkers and inform modeling.
  • Tests on animal models and preclinical validation before clinical transfer.
• Biomechanical modeling and numerical simulations
  Development of computational models and in silico simulations (digital twins) to test and optimize devices and scenarios.
• Clinical studies
  Implementation of trials with patients, including monitoring during pregnancy and childbirth, to validate the approach and improve prevention/diagnosis.

Applications and Impacts

• Improvement of obstetric care
  Safer and better-informed decisions during childbirth through real-time measurements and predictions.
• Prevention of pelvic floor disorders
  Reduction of perineal trauma and, ultimately, decreased incidence of PFD and their chronic consequences.
• Innovation in instrumentation and digital twins in healthcare
  Creation of a ready-to-use clinical monitoring solution from an integrated sensor–model–clinical approach.

Expected Impact

PelviTrack aims to change the standard of care in the delivery room by making prevention of perineal trauma possible, rather than its observation after the fact, and by paving the way for more personalized and preventive obstetrics.
For Mines Saint-Étienne / STBio (SAINBIOSE), the project mobilizes expertise in mechanical characterization of tissues, finite element modeling, and instrumentation engineering, in service of preventing perineal tears.

Quantify the impact of brain blood vessel pulsations during sleep on the transport and elimination of neurotoxic proteins, to open a new approach to dementia prevention.

Recipient of an ERC Consolidator Grant (funding announced at €1,999,947), the project is based on a transdisciplinary approach combining biomechanics, fluid dynamics, and clinical research. It combines numerical simulations, laboratory experiments, and clinical study to understand and measure the role of cerebrovascular pulsations in brain waste clearance during sleep.

Coordination

• Alexandra Vallet, Associate Professor (Centre for Biomedical and Healthcare Engineering – Mines Saint-Étienne)

Context and Challenges

Cerebrospinal fluid oscillates to the rhythm of pulsations (cardiac, respiratory, and more slowly via vascular activity), and these dynamics directly influence brain health and aging.
These pulsations contribute to the functioning of the glymphatic system, essential for brain “hygiene”: they promote fluid circulation and toxin removal. Optimizing these pulsations during sleep is considered a potential avenue to slow processes related to neurodegenerative diseases.

Main Objectives

• Measure and quantify the impact of cerebrovascular pulsations during sleep on the transport/elimination of neurotoxic proteins.
• Better understand the links between intracranial pulsations, the glymphatic system, and neurodegeneration.
• Explore how optimization of nocturnal pulsations could become a target for prevention/slowing of neurodegenerative diseases.

Methodology

• Numerical simulations
  Modeling and simulation of pulsations and their effects on flows and transport.
• Laboratory experiments
  Experimental approaches to link physical mechanisms and physiological parameters.
• Clinical study
  Clinical data to anchor/validate models and quantify the in vivo effect.

Applications and Impacts

• Dementia prevention
  An original approach focused on cerebral “clearance” during sleep and the role of vascular pulsations.
• Scientific advances
  A better understanding of fluid–structure interactions and the mechanisms that drive brain cleansing.
• Translational potential
  Ultimately, identification of levers (physiological/biomechanical) to improve the efficiency of the glymphatic system.

Expected Impact

BrainSomnia aims to provide quantitative results and modeling tools to assess how cerebrovascular pulsations, particularly during sleep, contribute to the elimination of neurotoxic proteins. By linking biomechanics, modeling, and clinical research, the project aims to support a new prevention strategy for neurodegenerative diseases, consistent with STBio research themes around mechanical interactions and biological processes in living systems.