The start-up OxiProteomics1, created by IBPS researchers (UMR 8256), uses
the Oxi-DIGE (DIfferential Gel Electrophoresis) technology to visualize and
quantify the oxidation of proteins. It has just received the operating licence,
which will enable it to develop its activity.
A new start-up was born
at IBPS: OxiProteomics has just obtained the operating licence, which will
enable to develop its activity. Bertrand Friguet, director of the UMR 8256,
Martin Baraibar, former post-doctoral fellow in the UMR 8256, and Claude
Hennion, in charge of development, created the company in 2014. OxiProteomics
has since recruited a project manager, Andrea Cavagnino, PhD in biochemistry
The start-up uses the
Oxi-DIGE (DIfferential Gel Electrophoresis) technology (patented in 2011 by the
UPMC), which makes it possible to visualize and quantify the oxidation state of
all proteins in a sample (the oxy-proteome) and even of specific proteins.
Protein oxidation is one of the major contributors to aging and related
diseases. Over time, our body's proteins accumulate changes -particularly
oxidation- that makes them less efficient for their function, whether metabolic
enzymes, proteins involved in major cellular functions, or structural proteins.
customers are cosmetic industries, which immediately understood the importance
of evaluating the efficacy of their products on skin aging. In fact,
OxiProteomics is already working with L'Oréal, Pierre Fabre and LVMH Recherche,
among others, to analyze the oxidation state of skin samples before and after
treatment with candidate molecules for cosmetic care. Oxi-DIGE technology has
several major advantages over competing technologies: it allows both
quantification of oxidized proteins, via direct detection of carbonyl residues
by fluorescence, and identification of specific proteins by two-dimensional
Other applications are
possible and Bertrand Friguet's team, for example, has collaborated on
infertility associated to oxidative stress2, and thus demonstrated the efficacy
of a treatment that reduces both the state of protein oxidation and
infertility. The team also collaborated with several partners on the study of
On October 15, the
start-up obtained its first major recognition since its creation: the Start-up
Award at the first Cosmetic 360 international trade show (150 exhibitors and
over 4000 visitors). It has also been the subject of articles in several
specialized magazines, including Cosmétiquemag and Usine Nouvelle, and on
websites dedicated to innovative start-ups such as Widoobiz and Skinobs.
2. With le laboratoire de Recherche en Epidémiologie Nutritionnelle, INSERM U557, INRA, CNAM, Université Paris 13, CRNH IdF (Bobigny)
3. With the Institut de Myologie (Paris), the Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine (Italy) and the Karolinska Institute (Sweden).