Companies and Campus: When Research and Industry Innovate Together
When the academic research community and cutting-edge companies come together, it fosters the development of skills and creates a beneficial collective synergy. The “Companies and Campus” call for projects fully contributes to this dynamic of innovation, as demonstrated by the REGENamel project. Led by two research units at the University of Montpellier and the Toulouse-based pharmaceutical and dermo-cosmetics group Pierre Fabre, it is among the winners of the 2022 Montpellier cohort.
A collaboration between a research laboratory and the socio-economic sector always begins with a first step—an initial connection. In fact, when a company contacts a university, it is often because it is facing a technological hurdle that is difficult to overcome. This was the case for the REGENamel project, one of the winners of the call for proposals Companies and Campus 2022. Hélène Van Den Berghe, a faculty researcher at the Max Mousseron Institute of Biomolecules (IBMM) within the Polymers for Health and Biomaterials ( PHBM) team and a specialist in medical devices and macromolecular engineering, explains the origins of this project.
"In 2021, one of our former master's students, who was working at Pierre Fabre, approached us about an issue concerning the group’s Oral Care division, which specializes in oral and dental hygiene,” recalls the professor and researcher. “They wanted to try to develop new, innovative formulations, particularly for dental remineralization.”There was one major challenge: the need to meet the requirements of the Ecocert label, the gold standard in organic and environmental certification, which imposes strict specifications—including the requirement that Pierre Fabre use natural ingredients in its formulations.
Encouraging initial results
It turns out that the Polymers for Health and Biomaterials team is primarily interested in“polymers1 that are essentially biodegradable and intended for medical applications within the body, including polymer matrices that can be used in everything from toothpaste.” Hélène Van Den Berghe, who works on polymers and natural ingredients, and Xavier Garric, who leads the team, are collaborating with a third person: Christophe Hirtz, head of the clinical proteomics platform (UM). Hirtz brings to the project his technical expertise in protein analysis, particularly as it relates to saliva and the oral cavity.
Each contributes its know-how, skills, and laboratory expertise at the request of an industrial partner who, for its part, specializes in galenic formulation—that is, the combination of ingredients to create the final preparation. This industrial partner is unlike any other—specifically, a pharmaceutical and dermo-cosmetic giant based in the Tarn region and operating in 43 countries, with several research centers located on the outskirts of Toulouse.“In June 2021, we began discussions withHélène Duplan, the project manager for Pierre Fabre. Aninitial collaboration, in the form of a student internship from February to July 2022, yielded encouraging results, which allowed us to answer a number of questions about the project’s feasibility,” explains Hélène Van Den Berghe.
A thesis on dental remineralization
In agreement with the Pierre Fabre Group, an application for a CIFRE thesis was submitted to the National Agency for Research and Technology (ANRT).“The Department of Innovation and Partnerships (DIPA) supported and guided us through the negotiation and implementation of the thesis contract. ” In March 2023, Laura Chanard was hired to work on a thesis titled “Development and Characterization of Innovative Solutions for Dental Remineralization.”
Thanks to 34,000 euros in “Companies on Campus” funding, the team has purchased a rheometer—a“piece of laboratory equipment used to analyze formulations, particularly in terms of their mechanical properties.” What is the timeline for the REGENamel project? Everything will depend on the progress of the research following the thesis defense, and on how Pierre Fabre integrates the resulting innovations into its product portfolio. In the meantime, everyone will have gained in skills, collective intelligence… and competitiveness.
Companies and Campus: The University of Innovation
Launched in 2018 as part of the MUSE initiative (Montpellier University of Excellence), the “Companies and Campus” call for projects was designed to facilitate cooperation between the socio-economic sector and research institutions. Designed to contribute to the innovation process while serving as a catalyst for public-private cooperation, the call for projects combines research collaboration with the placement of employees within research institutions, where they work closely with researchers and students. Winners of the “Companies and Campus” program are eligible for funding of up to €50,000.
- Polymers are macromolecules (small molecules that link together to form a very large molecule) found throughout the human body (such as proteins and DNA) as well as in many everyday materials, such as polyester, PVC, and polyurethane. ↩︎