A breakthrough innovation in microbiology, the Ring Test® enables the precise and rapid analysis of the activity of ingredients on bacteria in biofilm form from their earliest stages of adhesion.
Resulting from several years of Research and Development, the principle of the BioFilm Ring Test® is at the heart of our proficiency in microbiota and biofilm. It is based on the ability of microorganisms to adhere and form a biofilm by indirect measurement of the mobility of magnetisable microbeads.
BIOFILM RING TEST®
IN THE PRESENCE OF BIOFILM
The microbeads become trapped in it and lose their mobility.
The absence of the formation of a spot of microbeads highlights the presence of a biofilm.
IN THE ABSENCE OF BIOFILM
The microbeads remain mobile and can form a spot under the action of a magnet.
Our technology is protected by 12 patents and is the subject of several scientific publications.
A Ring Test® is simple and quick to implement. The results are provided in the form of a numerical index called BFI (Biofilm Formation Index), calculated by a complex algorithm developed by BioFilm Control. This index reflects the aggregation of the beads under the effect of a magnetic field. It makes it possible to accurately quantify the effect of the molecules on the bacteria and the ability of the bacteria to adhere to biofilm. In addition, the measurements are reliable and repeatable among various manipulations.
Two diagnostic tests, derived from the BioFilm Ring Test®, have also been developed:
- The cBioFilm Ring Test®: for determining the adhesion strength of a biofilm
- the Antibiofilmogram®: a diagnostic test to optimise the use of antibiotics
ALL MICROBIOLOGY TECHNIQUES
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.
- Reconstitution of the conditions of use of customer products
- Mono or multi-species cultures
- Differentiation between planktonic and biofilm
- Development of in vitro biofilms on all surface types: microplates (polystyrene or glass), stainless steel, hydroxyapatite, RHE (Reconstructed Human Epidermis)…
- Studies in aerobic, anaerobic and microaerophilic conditions
- Study on the phenomena of adhesion, proliferation and dispersion of a biofilm
- Work on solid or liquid products with different types of texture (powder, cream, oil, etc.)
- Microscopy: On-site observation of the adhesion and arrangement of biofilms (optical, confocal and electron microscopy)
- Violet crystal colouring: Colorimetric measurement to reveal the curative or preventive adhering bacterial biomass
- Count: The number of viable adhering and/or mobile bacteria (biofilm and/or planktonic) on any type of curative or preventive support
- Determination of MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) / MCB (Minimum Bactericidal Concentration): Evaluation of antimicrobial activity (antibacterial, antifungal)
- Biofilm Ring Test®
ANALYSIS IN REAL CONDITIONS
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.
MONOCULTURE & CO-CULTURE
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.
IMPACT ON THE MICROBIOTA
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
PRODUCT BENCHMARKING
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.
ANTIBIOFILMOGRAM®
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?
PUBLICATIONS AND PATENTS
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.
Our technologies are the subject of more than 50 scientific publications, including:
- A Relevant Wound-Like in vitro Media to Study Bacterial Cooperation and Biofilm in Chronic Wounds > See
- Evaluation of the Use of Antibiofilmogram Technology in the Clinical Evolution of Foot Ulcers Infected by Staphylococcus aureus in Persons Living with Diabetes: A Pilot Study > See
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Investigating Major Recurring Campylobacter jejuni Lineages in Luxembourg Using Four Core or Whole Genome Sequencing Typing Schemes > See
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Biofilm Production by Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Significantly Increases the Risk of Death in Oncological Patients > See
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Biofilm Formation of Listeria monocytogenes Strains Under Food Processing Environments and Pan-Genome-Wide Association Study > See
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Association Between Kinetics of Early Biofilm Formation and Clonal Lineage in Escherichia coli > See
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Inflammatory cytokines and biofilm production sustain Staphylococcus aureus outgrowth and persistence: a pivotal interplay in the pathogenesis of Atopic Dermatitis > See
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The clinical Biofilm Ring Test®: a promising tool for the clinical assessment of biofilm-producing Candida species > See
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Biofilm is a Major Virulence Determinant in Bacterial Colonization of Chronic Skin Ulcers Independently from the Multidrug Resistant Phenotype > See
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Development of an in vitro Assay, Based on the BioFilm Ring Test®, for Rapid Profiling of Biofilm-Growing Bacteria > See
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An alternative method for the determination of polysaccharide cleavage enzymes activities > See
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A new tool to detect high viscous exopolymers from microalgae > See