Discovery platform

R&D and pilot fermentation resources

Our state-of-the-art R&D facility, located in the Lille Metropole area, has all the equipment needed to carry out research programs on microbial strain screening and characterization.

• Fully equipped discovery platform (microbiology, biochemistry, cell culture laboratories) for characterization of microbial strains, screening of biological activities, biomolecule identification.
• Pilot production line for specialty fermentation and starter strain production (2L to 30L bioreactors, concentration, freeze-drying…).

Microbiology expertise

Our R&D programs focus on lactic acid bacteria characterization, and on the exploration of their potential for industrial applications.

• Probiotic strain characterization : antibiotic resistance, safety, GIT survival…
• Fermentation process development : optimization of bacterial growth and metabolic activity in batch- or continuous systems, development of fermentation media (dairy, non-dairy…).

Bioactivity screening

We can evaluate the probiotic properties of microbial strains using in vitro, in vivo, and human clinical studies.

• Cell culture models (adherent on non-adherent, multi-layer cultures, organoids). Available models include intestinal cells (Caco-2, HT-29 : gut health, permeability), liver cells (HepG2 : liver protection), keratinocytes (HaCat : inflammation, apoptosis for skin health), macrophages (U937 : immune function).
• Bioanalyses : flow cytometry, qPCR for gene expression, spectrometry and spectrofluorometry for biochemical testing (ELISA, enzymatic activities, cell function and cell cycle assays…).

Bioinformatics

We are using proprietary, AI-based bioinformatics tools to analyse microbial whole genome sequences and predict the strain safety (antibiotic resistance, virulence factors), technological characteristics and potential probiotic properties.