• Energy, Ecology, Environment
  • Quality of life - Health - Food

MICrobiologie de l'ALImentation au Service de la Santé Humaine

Research unit

Description

MICALIS develops innovative research in the field of Microbiology of Food for Health. The researchers at this unique institute in France are working on the study of food and intestinal microbial ecosystems and interactions with the host, emergence and control of opportunistic foodborne pathogenic microorganisms as well as microbial systemic and synthetic biology. The institute is home to 5 technological platforms: - Axenic animal facility - Microscopy and imaging of microorganisms, Southwestern Paris proteomic analysis - Microbial-yeast resources - Preindustrial demonstration of intestinal metagenomics. The work and patents on the improvement of the production of edible leaven, the prevention of the microbiological risk in the food chain and the production of tools for the diagnosis of human pathologies and nutritional and probiotic strategies, allows the institue to be an active socio-economic partner (Probiox, Danone).

Contacts

  • Mr Philippe NOIROT

Innovation themes

Map and access

Domaine de Vilvert
78350 JOUY-EN-JOSAS

Our research areas

Expertises

- microbiota
- meat ecosystem
- encephalic and metabolic pathologies
- bioadhesion and materials hygiene
- bacterial communication
- microbial genetics and environment
- firmicutes and environment
- microbial adaptation
- bacterial wall
- bacterial genetics
- biofilm in bacillaceae virulence and fungal infection
- epigenetics
- cellular microbiology
- microbial lipid metabolism
- bacterial communication
- functional integration of cellular processes
- bioinformatics
- bacteriophage genomes

Applications sectors

  • Health / wellness
  • Agri-food industry
  • Agriculture

Total number of employees

Total number of employees : 340
Number of researchers : 130
Number of doctoral students : 140

Equipment(s) open to collaboration

Academics and industry:
Mass Spectrometers:
- Qexactive
- LTQ-Orbitrap
- LTQ-XL

Microscopy: transmission electron microscopy, scanning microscope, confocal laser scanning, structured illumination microscopy (Apotome), videomicroscopy, Medical Imaging for Animal Development and Reproduction, Cellvizio-Lab endomicroscopy, bioluminescence imaging on small animals, Virtual blades scanner

Keywords

Our results

Projects examples

- identification and use of a new beneficial commensal bacterium, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, on the basis of human clinical data: Publication in PNAS at the end of 2008 (450 citations in ISI Wb of Knowledge), Obtaining a project from the Unique Interministerial Fund In the amount of ? 4 million, a first patent filed on peptides and development of the first gnotobiotic model with F. prausnitzii (recently published in BMC Biol.)
- screening of a panel of 150 strains of lactic acid bacteria that led to the identification of a new probiotic strain of Lactobacillus plantarum that has been shown to be effective against the influenza virus. This work was published in AEM and a patent. Our industrial partner conducted a clinical trial of this strain, the results of which will be known in September 2013
- identification of new mechanisms involved in the microbiota / host dialogue. Supported by 3 industrial projects Syndifrais and by funding INRA young team. Using gnotobiotic animals, microbiota and food-borne bacteria have been shown to influence the structure and functions of absorption and protection of the intestine (Faseb J 2013, Isme J, 2014).
- we have developed new concepts of therapeutic innovations based on the use of recombinant bacteria (Gene Therapy, 2008, Science Translational Medicine, 2012)

Industrial and scientific relations

Scientific collaborations

58 ANR 20 european projects
- France: Institut Pasteur, CNRS, INSERM, Hôpital Cochin, CEA, Ecole Polytechnique
- Europe: Portugal, suède, Italie, Angleterre
- International: USA, Liban

Private collaborations

Large group: Danone France, Chr Hansen company (Denmark), SMEs: Bioprox France

Ecosystem

Establishments of affiliation