Mac‑Bioré: Experimental Bioproduction Laboratory
Inaugurated in May 2021, MacBioRe (Modélisation, Analyse, Contrôle de croissance en BIORÉacteurs) is a joint experimental project established by SupBiotech and IPSA, two engineering schools within the IONIS Education Group. Located on the SupBiotech Paris campus, the laboratory brings together expertise in fermentation engineering (SupBiotech) and control theory (IPSA) to imagine and develop the next generation of automated bioreactors.
Mac-Bioré’s mission is to modernize how bioreactors are operated by implementing real-time, automated control systems for critical parameters such as temperature, pH, pressure, and humidity—key elements in the efficient and reproducible bioproduction of therapeutic molecules. This initiative responds to a major challenge in biotechnology: in 2020, over 80% of newly approved drugs were derived from biotechnological processes involving living cells.
IPSA contributes its aerospace expertise in control systems engineering, particularly in stabilizing dynamic systems against external disturbances—an approach traditionally used in aviation and now applied to biological systems. SupBiotech contributes its curriculum and research capacity in bioproduction and fermentation, with one-third of its 2021 students trained in this field.
Mac-Bioré is not only a research facility but also a pedagogical platform, designed to foster interdisciplinary education. Starting in the 2021–2022 academic year, engineering students from both institutions follow a two-step collaborative program: an introduction to bioprocesses and control theory, followed by a joint end-of-study project applying these principles in practice. This cross-disciplinary experience enhances students’ employability by equipping them with hybrid skills at the interface of biology, systems engineering, and industrial biotechnology.
The long-term ambition is to extend Mac-Bioré into an industrial-scale Bioproduction 4.0 demonstrator, contributing to innovation in health, environment, and biomanufacturing sectors.