Merieux NutriSciences Debuts Biofortis HQ and Research Center

NANTES, FranceMérieux NutriSciences Corporation has opened a new global headquarters and research facility for its Biofortis subsidiary in Saint-Herblain, near Nantes in France. The new facility is ISO 9001-2008 accredited and will provide customers with high level R&D services in cooperation with state-of-the-art operations in Chicago (USA), Shanghai (Asia), and San Paolo (Brazil). 

The 2 300m² (24,757 sq ft.) global headquarters and research center will  house all four Biofortis service offerings:  clinical studies, contract research activities, Central Lab, and sensory and consumer studies. The building features a dedicated area for sensory studies, consumer testing and clinical trials, and another space reserved for microbiology, molecular biology and research laboratory activities. Seventy employees are employed at the Saint-Herblain location, which  is certified to GCP (Good Clinical practices), COFRAC (French Accreditation committee) and ISO (International Organisation for Standardization) standards. Studies at the facility will be conducted in close collaboration with Biofortis China, Brazil and USA with either a European or global scope. 

Philippe Sans, president and CEO of Mérieux NutriSciences, said this major investment in Saint-Herblain provides Merieux with additional means to serve its international clientele and become the reference partner for R&D teams in the food sector.

One of three Merieux subsidiariesalong with Silliker and BioagriBiofortis is dedicated to innovative nutrition and has been a pioneer in human clinical nutrition, according to Merieux.  The company noted Biofortis provides companies with world-class services, including intestinal flora research programs, biomarkers development and sensory analysis.

Michel du Peloux, senior VP of Mérieux NutriSciences and head of Biofortis, said Biofortis has more than 300 clinical studies completed, multi-centric projects in different countries, a Central Lab and best-in- class customized projects in intestinal flora research. "Our global expertise is largely concentrated in the food, pharmaceutical or medical nutrition sectors."

Since its inception, Institute Mérieux has been committed to medicine and global public health," said  Alain Mérieux, president of Institut Mérieux. "With the emergence of new risks linked to food safety, an increased understanding of links between infectious disease, metabolism and nutrition, and major scientific progress in metagenome, the contributions of Mérieux NutriSciences hold significance on a worldwide scale."