Meet Hector Adiel Flores Nestor, laureate of the Junior’Innov Open Call

Adiel comes from Mexico. He graduated from the European Master in Biological and Chemical Engineering for a Sustainable Bioeconomy (Bioceb) in 2024. Before joining the DECLIC Team at the Institute Jean-Pierre Bourgin for Plant Sciences (Versailles), he carried out an internship at Orange S.A., where he was in charge of Environmental Projects.

Tell us shortly about your project and why it is innovative

“ The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted global vulnerability to emerging human and animal viruses, and the need for fast, effective, and affordable solutions. Many promising viral antigens are hydrophobic and difficult to produce with current methods. This project focuses on developing lipid nanovectors that mimic viral particles to improve the delivery and immune presentation of such antigens. Our goal is to validate the technology and protect it for future practical application. ”

What motivated you to apply to the Junior’Innov open call?

“ This call allows the development of a technology with strong potential for a real-world application, helping bridge the gap between fundamental research and applied innovation. At the same time, it will strengthen my expertise as a researcher and enable me to benefit from a high-level research environment at a leading institute such as the Institute Jean-Pierre Bourgin for Plant Sciences. ”

How did Junior’Innov impact your project and which objectives were you able to reach thanks to it?

“ Thanks to the Junior’Innov funding, some missing experiments were carried out, providing sufficient data to advance the project and submit two Declarations of Invention. ”

What will be the future of your project after the end of the Junior’Innov funding?

“ Thanks to the Junior’Innov funding, the project has progressed sufficiently to seek support for a pre-maturation stage. This next step will allow the technology to advance further towards full maturation phase in the future. ”