Innov&Sea: how to assess the toxicity of products discharged into the marine environment?

Preserving the seabed and coastline: a major challenge

Their degradation affects planning and environmental policies, as well as the economic development of maritime territories. Ensuring the resilience of territories and maritime or coastal ecosystems" and "Supporting the competitiveness of our maritime and blue coastal economy" are two of the main priorities set by the French government for the next 6 years. They are set out in the Stratégie nationale pour la mer et le littoral 2030 (SNML).
By proposing a method for assessing the toxicity of products and pollutants discharged into the marine environment, Innov&Sea, financed by the IdEx Innovation program of Université Côte d'Azur's IdEx Innovation program, through the Start-Up Deeptech call for projects, aims to provide answers to the immense challenge of safeguarding marine biodiversity for both the private and public sectors.

A technological solution for companies

This solution consists in evaluating in vitro the cytotoxicity of a substance on two cell cultures from a symbiotic marine organism, the sea anemone Anemonia viridis, i.e. its animal cells and its microalgae (photosynthetic dinoflagellates). In this way, manufacturers (particularly in the cosmetics sector) can measure the effects of the ingredients making up their products on a biotic environment, and propose formulations that are more respectful of marine biodiversity.
What's more, this method makes it possible to obtain precise, comprehensive results in just 2 weeks, and to assess a wide range of product toxicity levels, all the while being eco-responsible. In fact, ecotoxicity is assessed using in vitro tests, i.e. exclusively on cells in culture. 3R" rule ("Reduction, Replacement, Refinement ") and does not impact marine biodiversity, offering an alternative to methods using live marine animals. The technology developed by Innov&Sea is the result of 8 years of laboratory research, supported by the CNRS, Université Côte d'Azur and Sorbonne University. To date, it is the only non-invasive method for testing ecotoxicity on marine organisms, and consequently the only one fully in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 14 "Aquatic life".

About Innov&Sea

Innov&Sea, founded in 2023 by Pauline Cotinat, Emmanuel Michelot, Stéphanie Barnay-Verdier and Paola Furla, has seen its first year of business crowned by major contracts with several Côte d'Azur and national cosmetics companies, as well as by the receipt of several awards and reawards (finalist in the Cosmetic Victories 2023, winner of the Cosmé-Tech 2023 Challenge from the Communauté d'Agglomération de Cergy-Pontoise, winner of the Prix Entrepreneuriat dans la Recherche from the Métropole Nice Côté d'Azur, and more recently winner of the Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge). The company's acceleration phase for 2025 will be reinforced by new national and international contracts in the cosmeceutical sector, and by the deployment of a number of new technologies.and also by deploying its solution in new markets such as marine biomonitoring (via a "Bourse French Tech Emergence" grant from Bpi France). Thanks to the development of its business and the launch of R&D activities, Innov&Sea plans to hire at least 2 new employees within the next year.

Find out more about Innov&Sea