We combine
nature and science
to fight indoor
air pollution
Microbiome Engineering
Using directed evolution, we selected and trained bacterial strains to become highly efficient at breaking down volatile organic compounds (VOCs). By gradually increasing their exposure to pollutants, we enhanced their ability to metabolize harmful compounds like formaldehyde and BTEX.
We worked on two specific bacterial strains to create a microbiome that excels at air purification:
Engineering strain 1
Pseudomonas putida
Iteration and development
1.5 years
Targeted pollutants
Benzene, toluene, and xylene
Engineering strain 2
Methylobacterium extorquens
Iteration and development
3 years
Targeted pollutants
Formaldehyde
Performance Testing
We rigorously analyze the air purification capability of our bioengineered microbiome through multiple levels of testing, progressively increasing in complexity:
(1) Molecular testing
Initial screening of bacterial strains in petri dishes, exposing them to VOCs to identify the most effective pollutant-eaters.
(2) 2L chamber testing
Introducing the best strains into soil and measuring how they remove gaseous pollutants in a controlled chamber environment.
(3) 30L chamber testing
Scaling up to a larger chamber, with continuous pollutant flow to assess the strains' performance under constant exposure.
(4) Bedroom-size testing
Final large-scale test in a 160 sq ft room (1400 cu ft), comparing air quality improvements between a control room and one containing Neoplants enhanced with their microbiome.
Scientists
- Patrick Torbey (PhD)
With a PhD in Genetic Engineering from ENS, Co-Founder & former CTO, Patrick is now CEO of Neoplants and in charge of all the strategic decisions for the company.
- Iman Tabatabaei (PhD)
Iman Is our Director of Plant Science. He is in charge of the entire plant science division, with a particular focus on genome editing and in-vitro transformation and innovation at Neoplants.
- Alex Mercier (PhD)
Alex is our Microbiology Lead. He works on developing and improving the Power Drops while making sure they function well with our plants.
- Jerôme Bodin
Jerôme is our Biochemistry Engineer, he leads the DNA Neofoundry platform.
- Alexandre Caron (PhD)
Alexandre is our Performance & Measurement Lead. He tests the Power Drops and the Plants.
- Laurine Thomas
Laurine is our Head of Facility and Lab Operations. She in charge of operational excellence to make sure our R&D team achieves their ambitious goals.
- Maeva le Goff
Maeva is our Microbiology Research Engineer. She works in increasing the VOC degradation of our Power Drops using and developing cutting-edge gene editing tools.
- Margaux D'Avola
Margaux is a Research Engineer and part of the innovation team. She works on molecular biology and biochemistry to create plants with new features.
Plant Metabolism Engineering
We see nature as the key to a greener future. Our mission is to drive positive change by placing it at the center of innovation and shifting toward nature tech over machines.
To achieve this, we are advancing projects beyond microbiome engineering. Optimizing plant metabolism is our next step, to enhance their ability to convert harmful indoor pollutants into harmless substances.
We’re currently focusing on gene modification techniques to fine-tune metabolic pathways, ensuring effective responses while maintaining plant health.