Chr. Hansen has created a new research and development consortium and secured strain access and commercialization rights to strengthen its capabilities and gain access to renowned bio-banks of human gut bacteria.
“Chr. Hansen has been a world leader in fermentation technology for 140 years and we have one of the industry’s strongest technological platforms for the production of microbes,” says Cees de Jong, CEO.
“We are now using this platform to expand into new generations of microbial solutions for human health, and with these agreements in place, we can strengthen our strategic research efforts and accelerate product development.”
In the consortium, led and financed by Chr. Hansen, the company partners with three academic institutions: The University of Aberdeen (UK), the University of Groningen (Netherlands) and the University of Wageningen (Netherlands).
The consortium will operate a research program, aimed at exploiting the human microbiome and developing bacterial products that can improve human health, for example in the prevention and treatment of gastro-intestinal and metabolic diseases.
“The bio-banks of anaerobic bacteria that we will advance in this project, already cover 500 strains, some ranking among the best documented in the field,” says one of the lead investigators, Professor Dr. Harry Flint, University of Aberdeen.
“These strains will be subjected to a deep analysis of their health functional activities and their potential for production and formulation.”
