Knowledge and Expertise

The CRBM leverages its multidisciplinary knowledge to drive project success:

We are known for the support we provide to businesses. The CRBM team supports the innovation process throughout the various activities:

• Set-up of R & D projects and project financing requests;
• Consultation with regulatory agencies;
• Techno-economic assessment of processes, products or analytical methodologies.

Our experts ensure that the raw material required by companies for their projects meets the required quality standards for the target sector.

For example, it may be necessary to qualify a biomass, to condition it (e.g., drying and grinding), and to study, compare and test the components.

Furthermore, by using closed cultures (photobioreactor, fermenter, shake-flask systems), the CRBM team is able to produce the microorganisms and microalgae required to carry out projects. Based on the components needed, they develop processes to yield customized raw materials.

From a natural or synthetic ingredient, extraction, chemical change and formulation testing is conducted to obtain ingredients. Projects may include purification and bioassay-guided fractionation to produce new extracts. These extracts are evaluated to identify their functional properties and biological activity. To date, various testing platforms have been developed at the CRBM to identify and evaluate anti-cancer, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and cosmetic properties.

Our team has considerable expertise in complementary disciplines such as analytical chemistry, microbiology, biochemistry, and cellular and molecular biology. Therefore, we are able to develop methodologies to characterize active ingredients and the quality control required to develop products, study stability and assess purity.

We have a Health Canada Drug Establishment Licence, attesting to the high quality of our development of methods and testing.

Our team also works on developing and optimizing pilot-scale production.

Some examples include conditioning active ingredients and formulated products. A number of technologies are used, such as drying, grinding, separating, hydrolysis and extraction to filtration, centrifuging and homogenization techniques. Our team also develops prototype production processes to generate finished products for market testing by our customers.

Companies look to our experts to find solutions or improve their products or processes. Our team will perform an in-house diagnostic process on-site and suggest opportunities for improvement.

Our dedicated experts are passionate about developing the marine biotechnology sector and its many applications. We all strive to create opportunities to leverage marine resources. Through our research, we seek to promote the development of new knowledge to achieve significant advances.