Evolution has never been easier smarter faster

Our technology automates adaptive evolution of micro-organisms.
We get them right where we want, and fast.

Biotechnology will
be the next
industrial revolution

We need to urgently change the way we produce and consume

Microorganisms have a great potential, but their use in industrial production has remained limited to few applications.

Despite huge progress in genome editing and sequencing, we still lack predictive models to engineer microorganisms that can be used for sustainable production of essential goods in a competitive way.

We believe an approach based on natural selection is critical to meet this challenge.

Our mission

Increase feasibility and reduce time-to-market
for bio-manufactured products

All species and
non-GMO compatible

20+ years of
expertise

93% of
successful projects

"Designed by humans.

Powered by nature.

Controlled by algorithms."

What we do

We automate adaptive evolution to foster a revolution in strain development

Innovate

We adapt the strain to the process by exploring innovative paths

Strain development often fails at delivering results compatible with competitive operations at scale.

We should stop trying to adapt the process to microorganisms limitations and start enhancing microorganisms instead, adapting them to the process requirements.

Our innovative Genemat technology developed in collaboration with the CEA overcomes the lack of knowledge required to rationally build a targeted phenotype. It adapts the strain to industrial needs, even for non-GMO applications.

Automate

Engineering biodiversity with our automated evolution platform

The Genemat enables continuous cultivation of microorganisms under selective pressure controlled by algorithms.

It runs 24/7 with no risk of contamination and offers real-time monitoring of evolution status.

Successful track-record with bacteria, yeast, fungi and algae.

Accelerate

Leveraging data to accelerate key discoveries

Custom experiment designed by our team of experts in adaptative evolution and bioprocess engineering.

Advanced selection regimes to explore evolution paths driven by genomic and phenotypic data.

User-centric interface for thorough data visualization and interpretation.

Applications

Our versatile technology has been an enabler in many sectors

Food & Feed

Agriculture

Health

Energy

Materials

Cosmetics

Bio-based chemicals

Improved margin for 2G bioplastic production

6x increased productivity in 6 months

We started with an engineered chassis that had low assimilation of C5 sugars, resulting in poor margin for the production of a bioplastic from ligno-cellulosic feedstocks

Within 6 months of evolution, we obtained an improved chassis with utilization of both C5 and C6 sugars at comparable rates

The evolved strain showed a 6-fold improvement in productivity of the bioplastic monomer in fermenter compared to the parental strain

Improved efficacy of a probiotic

10x increased growth rate in 6 months, with 2x tolerance to a toxic compound

The starting strain showed poor tolerance to a toxic compound and low assimilation of the targeted nitrogen compound

Wihtin 3 months, we achieved a 2-fold increase in tolerance to the toxic compound

In a subsequent evolutionary experiment, we achieved a 10-fold increase in the growth rate on a medium containing the targeted compound as sole source of nitrogen

Our team

Meet the people behind Altar

Simon
TRANCART

CEO & Co-founder

Cyril
DELATTRE

CTO

Julien
PATROUIX

Head of Innovation

Sandrine
GOSLING

Research Engineer

Julie
BROUCHON

Research Engineer

Vincent
BOURCIER

HR & Admin

Hélène
BAUDOIN

Office Manager

Audrey
RIVASSEAU

Lab Technician

Mégane
TERRANOVA

Lab Technician

Emeline
DAGORN

Lab Technician

Thomas
LERA

Maintenance Technician

Isabelle
DAMOUR

Quality Manager

Antoine
BARATTE

Mechatronic Engineer

Agathe
SAUVEGRAIN

Product Manager

Damien
BARRION

Senior Developer

Arthur
RENAUX

Data Engineer