R&D projects are being undertaken at the MBRC which are directed towards functional extracts and bioactive molecules from various marine coproducts, and specifically focused on the marine biomass found in the St. Lawrence River, the North Atlantic and even the Arctic Ocean. There are very few precedents regarding the chemical and biochemical composition of marine organisms in the North Seas, which makes them a prime target for the discovery of new molecules for human health.

The MBRC focuses its in-house research on cold water extracts and molecules of marine origin in order to find applications in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. The MBRC targets, as a preventive component, the development of natural health, cosmeceutical, nutraceutical and nutri-therapeutic products. As a treatment component, the MBRC takes part in the development of therapeutic products and drugs via clinical and preclinical studies.

The primary screening platform is used to identify the bioactive substances derived from marine or terrestrial biomass. Two different platforms are used to assess the anticancer or antimicrobial properties of the extracted substances. The biomass is processed into powder and extracted with six solvents of different polarity to obtain a large variety of derived substances. The crude extracts are tested to identify their biological properties in vitro. If a positive response is observed, the bioactive extracts are broken down and subjected to other biological tests, etc. so as to isolate the bioactive molecules. This procedure is called bioguided fractionation.

In vitro safety studies (ADME-tox) and in vivo effectiveness and toxicity studies are completed in order to pursue the biological assessment of these new molecules with interesting properties for future human health applications.

This approach is offered to companies who wish to screen the functional properties of extracts and pure substances of marine or terrestrial origin.

For more details, contact Alain Guillou