Business & Finance
Valbiotis Confirms Interest in the Study of the Intestinal Microbiota
18 October 2018 - - French research and cevelopment company Valbiotis (PAR: ALVAL) has confirmed its interest in the study of the intestinal microbiota, a promising field of investigation on innovative solutions for metabolic diseases.

Since the 2000s, there has been a growing number of scientific publications highlighting the connection between the different components of the microbiota and the development or prevention of numerous human pathologies, in particular gastro-intestinal and metabolic diseases.

The microbiota has become a valued target for developing innovative health applications.

The many potential prospects led to massive fund-raisings, and in 2016, the total raised surpassed a billionn dollars in Europe and the United States.

A growing number of players are committing to the R and D effort, including biotechnology companies supported by pharmaceutical firms, investment funds and leading groups in the field of nutrition.

The French government's confirmation of its commitment to enhancing its healthcare innovation policy has led to strong support for this boost in R and D, as well as its involvement in various programs and studies based on the microbiota, conducted by leading public-sector research institutes: Inra, Inserm, Institut Pasteur, etc.

Valbiotis, a player in research for preventing and combating metabolic diseases, is engaged in the microbiota. 

Since its creation in 2014, Valbiotis has made the intestinal microbiota a strong axis of its R and D strategy for the prevention of metabolic diseases.

In this regard, the company is systematically exploring potential interactions between its products and intestinal microbial populations, using the latest gold standard techniques: Next Generation Sequencing and qPCR. The objective is to establish a link between the preclinical and clinical proof of efficacy of its products and their significant effects on the intestinal microbiota.

The studies conducted by Valbiotis have led to the compilation of an exclusive and unique database combining preclinical, clinical, biological and intestinal microbiota metasequencing data.

The data collected from representative samples from a wide range of metabolic status will play an important role in broadening scientific understanding of the involvement of the intestinal microbiota in the pathologies studied as well as in identifying microbial strains of interest and the most relevant pathways for therapeutic research.

This comprehensive and exclusive database has high value potential and will be a focal point of the Valbiotis development strategy.

This strategic R and D focus has instigated significant changes at Valbiotis, creating a favorable climate for the market launch of its products via one or possibly several major players in the healthcare sector.

Intestinal microbiota: French population have a good understanding of the role of the intestine and its microbial populations in terms of health.

Results of an opinion survey conducted by the OPINEA Institute for Valbiotis on a thousand participants representative of the French population.

9 out of 10 participants (88.3%) state that the intestine is a "key" organ in terms of health, namely because it plays host to the intestinal microbiota.

This is particularly understood by people over 35 and high income populations. The media and the internet are most commonly cited as sources of information.

6 out of 10 French people understand the potential benefits of acting on their intestinal microbiota in order to prevent certain diseases and this is particularly true among people over 35, with 2 out of 3 of this population agreeing with this view.

However, 66% of people interviewed (57% of high income groups) are unaware of the type of research being conducted by the scientific community to establish a link between the intestinal microbiota and metabolic diseases.

Public health campaigns on healthy lifestyle appear to have had a positive impact. When asked, "in your opinion, what actions must be taken in daily life to prevent metabolic diseases?," 80.5% responded with "exercise regularly," 78% with "eat a healthy and well-balanced diet," 58% with "avoid eating sugar" and 44% with "cut out fatty foods."

Lastly, 73.8% of participants would be willing to take a plant-based dietary supplement daily which targets the intestinal microbiota and with clinically proven efficacy, in order to prevent metabolic diseases.

Population of 1014 different species of micro-organism (bacteria, fungi, viruses) living inside the human digestive tract.

Valbiotis is a French Research and Development company committed to scientific innovation for preventing and combating metabolic diseases.

Its products are made for manufacturers in the agri-food and pharmaceutical industries. Valbiotis particularly focuses on solutions to prevent type 2 diabetes, NASH (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis), obesity and cardiovascular diseases.

Valbiotis was founded in La Rochelle in early 2014 and has formed numerous partnerships with top academic centers in France and abroad, including La Rochelle University, the CNRS and Clermont Auvergne University located in Clermont-Ferrand.

These partnerships have enabled Valbiotis to benefit from strong financial leverage, particularly thanks to experts and technical partners who support its projects. The company has established three sites in France Périgny, La Rochelle and Riom and an American office in Boston.

Valbiotis is a member of the "BPI Excellence" network and received the "Innovative company" status accorded by BPI France. Valbiotis has also been awarded "Young Innovative company" status and has received major financial support from the European Union for its research programs by obtaining support from the European Regional Development Fund.
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