OUR EXPERTISES

Biofilm Control internally manages all traditional microbiology techniques and has adapted them to the specific study of microbiota and biofilm for more than 15 years.

Our laboratory is located in the Clermont-Ferrand Biopôle and our teams have developed specific know-how in tests and analyses related to the different types of bacteria and microbiota, whether in planktonic form or adhering as biofilm.

Our ISO 13485 quality system and the methods we have implemented guarantee accuracy, reliability and repeatability of measurements.

All our techniques can be applied both curatively and preventively, i.e. to treat a phenomenon that has already formed or to accentuate/inhibit a phenomenon.

We reproduce in vitro the real life conditions of bacteria in the planktonic or biofilm state as well as the methods of application of the active ingredients.

The microbial world is a complex arrangement, just like the problems encountered by our customers. We are committed to developing the most representative study models of real conditions in order to support our customers in reaching major stages in the development of their products or in the eradication of contamination.

Our team of experts thus acts on three levers:

• ­­­The reproduction of the microbial way of life: based on the study system necessary for our customer’s problem, we control bacterial cultures both in their planktonic form and in their adhering form.
• The reproduction of the terms of use of the decontamination ingredients or solutions: we respect the frequencies as well as the concentrations and the conditions of application in order to faithfully reproduce the end use of the contamination ingredients or solutions.
• The development of custom models: based on the problems encountered by our customers, we develop specific study models, on different types of surfaces and supports.

The results obtained are thus the most representative possible of the conditions of use. These are presented in the form of detailed reports, presented based on the wishes of our customers.

To get as close as possible to real conditions of use, we work on both monoculture and multi-species models.

We work daily with different types of culture medium that we adapt to the needs of the bacteria (nutritional components, pH, temperature, concentration of atmospheric gases, etc.) or to the research conditions of our customers.

We have a library of more than 2,000 strains within the scope of our services and create complex custom designs for special needs upon request.

To go further in the characterisation of the effectiveness of products and to approximate in vitro real conditions of use, our teams of engineers and technicians have developed significant expertise in the development of co-cultures. These multi-species cultures also make it possible to determine the interactions between several types of microorganisms, to identify new molecules with antimicrobial or antibiofilm activity or to highlight the impact of a product on the microbiota’s equilibrium.

To manage the positive or negative impact on the microbiota, we accurately evaluate the effect of molecules on a given subset of bacteria.

Always wanting to be as in tune as possible with our customers’ problems, we determine together the specifications of the microbiota to be tested or the microorganisms to be targeted, in order to precisely identify the impact of the ingredient, the formulation or the product.

Our expertise thus makes it possible to respond to issues such as:

• the establishment of the microbiota: we demonstrate that the product makes bacterial adhesion possible, which is a key factor in the establishment of the microbiota
• preservation of the microbiota: we provide evidence that the healthy microbiota is not affected by the application of the ingredient, formulation or molecule to be tested and that these are thus Microbiota Friendly or Microbiome Friendly
• the appearance of dysbiosis: we highlight the appearance of a disruption of the microbial equilibrium
• the return to equilibrium following dysbiosis: we analyse the evolution of dysbiosis in order to demonstrate that the product tested enables the microbiota to return to equilibrium
• biofilm formation prevention: we develop the appropriate study systems to demonstrate that the coating, the solution or the molecule to be tested makes it possible to prevent the formation of a bacterial biofilm, which can be the cause of contamination or chronic pathologies
• the rupture of a biofilm: we demonstrate that the product to be tested does indeed allow for the elimination or degradation of the bacterial biofilm, for the development and identification of decontamination solutions and the treatment of pathologies

We compare the effectiveness of active ingredients on the microbiota and their assertions compared to other products on the market.

We support our customers on a daily basis to position the effects of their products in relation to other products on the market so that they can continuously make improvements to their formulations.

We benchmark for example:

• the activity of ingredients on the formation, maintenance or regulation of the microbiota
• the discrimination of different concentrations and effective contact times
• the effectiveness of ingredients in relation to claims such as anti-acne, microbiota maintenance, etc.

The Antibiofilmogram® is the only clinically validated diagnostic test enabling the selection of antibiotics that act on the biofilm for the treatment of chronic infections.

Involved in 80% of human infections and 60% of nosocomial infections, biofilms lead us into a potential therapeutic impasse. Going against the tide of a race for increasingly potent antibiotics, we have taken an uncharted path: attacking a source that makes antibiotics ineffective, a biofilm. A biofilm is a viscous film, produced by the microbes themselves and which protects them with a resistant coating to any form of aggression.

After 15 years of research, Biofilm Control presents an unprecedented tool: a biofilm test identifying the best antibiotic to curb the infection. By identifying the biofilm at its earliest stage, the Antibiofilmogram® diagnostic test makes it possible to determine the antibiotics that act on the biofilm among the recommended antibiotics, allowing the clinician to choose the appropriate antibiotic for his or her patient. The Antibiofilmogram® test thus allows targeted care and to make gains in terms of time and efficiency. It is also a new opportunity to treat chronic infections.

Do you work in a clinical environment and would you like to receive our Antibiofilmogram® test?

An innovative and cutting-edge biotech company, all our R&D work is realised by the filing of patents and peer-review publications.

12 patents protect our various technologies, including the detection of biofilms, the detection of interactions and the measurement of biofilm resistance.