Rendezvous For French Biotechs

The French biotech start-up firm Deinove has formed a partnership with POS Bio-Sciences, a Canadian contract R&D company, to make carotenoid compounds using Deinove’s engineered Deinococcus bacteria. POS will develop systems for extracting and purifying carotenoids, which are used in food, cosmetic, and health products. Separately, the French biobased chemicals start-up Metabolic Explorer has signed a deal with UPM, a Helsinki, Finland-based forest products firm, to develop a process for making propylene glycol from cellulosic sugars using Metabolic Explorer’s fermentation technology.