NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Bio-Rad Laboratories will collaborate with Genetic Analysis and Bioaster, a French microbiology research institute, to study gut microbiome alterations in metabolic disorders, Bioaster announced today.
The project will look for microbiota signatures of dysbiosis in metabolic disorders like diabetes and obesity in order to pursue diagnostics development. It will use Bioaster's deep and 16S-targeted sequencing technologies and advanced pipelines of data analysis for highlighting new gut microbiome biomarkers, according to a statement.
Bio-Rad began a collaboration with Genetic Analysis last year involving distribution of the Oslo-based firm's assay, GA-map, to detect imbalances in the gut microbiome.
"As more and more links are discovered between the human microbiome and immune status, the need for accurate biomarker-based tests becomes pressing," said Ronny Hermansen, CEO of Genetic Analysis.
Bioaster develops collaborative, multi-disciplinary approaches to promote open innovation. It is an independent non-profit focused on accelerating public health and personalized medicine technologies in microbiology, specifically related to antimicrobial development, improving vaccines, utilizing the microbiome, and bedside diagnostics. The institution noted that its overarching goal is to turn industrial needs into "research projects dedicated to solutions and leveraging discoveries from academic research."
The organization currently supports 54 projects, including 27 with private partners, 25 with public partners, and 10 international and European projects.
Originally founded by Paris Institut Pasteur and the Lyonbiopôle competitive cluster, Bioaster also has participation from groups such as INSERM, Institut Mérieux, Sanofi Pasteur, and bioMérieux. It is supported by the French government through the Programme Investissements d’Avenir (Investing for the Future program, PIA), of Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Métropole du Grand Lyon.