CRBS - Centre de recherche en biomédecine de Strasbourg

What CRBS - Centre de recherche en biomédecine de Strasbourg does

CRBS - Centre de recherche en biomédecine de Strasbourg is a public biomedical research institution located in Strasbourg, France, jointly operated by the Université de Strasbourg and Inserm under the UMS 38 mixed service unit. It federates 10 research laboratories and approximately 300 scientists across immunology, rheumatology, neurosciences, medical genetics, cardiovascular medicine, biomaterials, regenerative nanomedicine, and translational bioinformatics. Core infrastructure includes the 350 m² PIC-STRA imaging platform — offering photonic, confocal, multiphoton, and electron microscopy (down to 0.2 nm resolution) with IMARIS/Fiji/Ilastik/Icy analysis workstations — and a 1,500 m² functional exploration platform providing conventional and SPF animal housing for rodents and zebrafish breeding.

The center's business model is institutional rather than commercial: it is funded through public research grants and parent-institution budgets (Université de Strasbourg, Inserm, French national agencies, ERC), with ancillary fee-based revenue from external academic users of the PIC-STRA platform who must complete training and sign the platform charter before booking through the online reservation system. Customer segments are academic and clinical — affiliated research units, external researchers, CHRU Strasbourg clinical genetics services via the co-located Institut de Génétique Médicale d'Alsace (IGMA), and patient associations (ARSLA, Epilepsy France, Huntington France) engaged via outreach programs such as Semaine du cerveau.

CRBS derives strategic differentiation from structural proximity between basic research and clinical genetics (translational pipeline via IGMA and CIC 1434), internationally recognized principal investigators (ERC Advanced Grant, IUF Senior Member, Grand Prix Ruban Rose), and an extensive cross-border partnership network (DZNE Ulm, ETH Zurich, Université de Freiburg, Institut Curie/Gustave Roussy, Munich Clinical Neuroimmunology). The center maintains a dedicated start-ups section, signaling intent to commercialize research output alongside its publication and grant-driven mission.

Name

CRBS - Centre de recherche en biomédecine de Strasbourg

Legal name

Centre de recherche en biomédecine de Strasbourg

Website

https://crbs.unistra.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CRBS is a public biomedical research center in Strasbourg, jointly operated by Université de Strasbourg and Inserm under UMS 38, federating 10 research units and ~300 scientists across immunology, neurosciences, genetics, oncology, and cardiovascular medicine, with shared imaging and animal research platforms serving academic and clinical users.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomedical Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Medical Laboratories (621511)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

Central Laboratory & Clinical Trial Testing CROs (HLAGAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Clinical CROs (Phase I–IV) (HLAGAAAA)

Keywords

• Biomedical research services
• Multi-scale imaging platform
• Preclinical animal facilities
• Translational medicine research
• Clinical genetics services

Headquarters

HQ city

Strasbourg

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Institutional Funding: CRBS is a public research infrastructure jointly operated by the Université de Strasbourg and Inserm, funded through government research grants, institutional budgets, and public funding bodies. No commercial revenue model is described; the center provides shared services to affiliated research units and the broader scientific community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

CRBS is a public biomedical research center federating 10 research units and approximately 300 scientists. It provides shared scientific platforms and services — principally the PIC-STRA multi-scale imaging platform and a 1500 m2 functional exploration and animal housing facility — to internal research units, external academic researchers, and clinical partners. The center co-locates basic biomedical research (Université de Strasbourg, Inserm) with clinical genetics services of the Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg (IGMA) to enable translational research.

Product overview

CRBS is a biomedical research center federating 10 research units and approximately 300 scientists. The center operates through two main scientific platforms: PIC-STRA (an imaging platform offering multi-scale microscopy systems and image analysis capabilities) and the Plateforme d'exploration fonctionnelle et ressources expérimentales (providing functional exploration and animal housing facilities). These are supported by UMS 38, which delivers administrative and technical services including reception, washing, maintenance, and building operations. The center focuses on research in immunology, rheumatology, molecular biology, neurosciences, cardiology, genetics, and biomaterials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PIC-STRA Imaging Platform A multi-scale imaging platform providing access to photonic and electronic microscopy systems including stereomicroscopy, widefield, confocal, multiphoton, and electron microscopy, as well as image processing and analysis stations with software such as IMARIS, Fiji, Ilastik, and Icy. Open to external academic researchers after training and signing the platform charter, with reservations via an online system.
• Plateforme d'exploration fonctionnelle et ressources expérimentales A functional exploration and experimental resources platform providing animal housing facilities including conventional and SPF (pathogen-free) zones for small animals (rodents) and zebrafish breeding areas. Supports preclinical research for affiliated units and external partners.
• UMS 38 (Unité Mixte de Service) Shared service unit organizing the operation and development of common services and platforms at CRBS, providing administrative, technical, and logistical support including reception, laboratory washing, building maintenance, and exploitation across the 10 affiliated research units.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 research publications in high-impact journals (Nature Materials, Nature Communications, Science Translational Medicine, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, iScience, Science Advances, EMBO Molecular Medicine) between 2024-2026 across oncology, neurosciences, immunology, and cardiovascular research.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Inserm Est and RCF AlsaceminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Collaborative podcast series on opioid addiction research produced jointly with Inserm Est and RCF Alsace radio, communicating scientific findings to the general public and healthcare professionals.
• Institut Curie / Gustave Roussy, PariscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Jacky Goetz's team (U1109) collaborated with Kristine Schauer's team at Institut Curie/Gustave Roussy and Philippe Rondé (CNRS UMR7021) on melanoma lysosome positioning and metastatic prediction from intracellular architecture.
• DZNE (German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases), UlmcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024CRBS team SLA-DFT (STEP U1329) collaborated with DZNE Ulm on sleep microarchitecture disruption in ALS, discovering that sleep disturbances precede motor symptoms. This cross-border collaboration with a leading German neurodegenerative disease center demonstrates the center's international research reach.
• Université de Freiburg, GermanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Pauline Soulas-Sprauel's group (U1109) collaborated with a team from Université de Freiburg to identify specific immunological mechanisms involved in Antiphospholipid Syndrome, a serious autoimmune disease.
• Institute of Clinical Neuroimmunology, MunichcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Dr Caroline Rouaux (STEP U1329) partnered with Dr Sabine Liebscher (Institute of Clinical Neuroimmunology, Munich) for the joint Forcheurs 2024 award-winning project on cortical hyperexcitability and noradrenaline in ALS.
• Université de StrasbourgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRBS is jointly operated by the Université de Strasbourg and Inserm through UMS 38, hosting 10 research units from the university and serving as the primary institutional partner.
• Inserm (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInserm co-pilots CRBS through UMS 38 and hosts multiple Inserm research units (U1109, U1329, U1121, U1260, UMR 7357, UR 3072, UR 3074, UR 7296) within the center, making it the primary institutional co-operator.
• Institut du Fer à Moulin, Inserm / Sorbonne UniversitéminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with UMR 839 at Institut du Fer à Moulin for seminars on human sensorimotor circuit development using in vitro models of embryogenesis.
• CHRU Strasbourg (Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHRU Strasbourg is closely integrated through the Institut de Génétique Médicale d'Alsace (IGMA) housed at CRBS, the Centre d'Investigation Clinique (CIC 1434), and multiple clinical collaboration projects linking research units to CHU departments.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Inserm (national): French national institute for health and medical research — co-governs CRBS through UMS 38 and hosts 8 of its 10 research units. CRBS can be read as a regional node of this broader national federation; comparable as the parent ecosystem rather than as a single peer institution.
• European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL): Intergovernmental research organization operating multiple sites across Europe with advanced imaging, structural biology, and bioinformatics core facilities. Comparable to CRBS in its federation model and shared scientific platforms (notably imaging), but at much larger pan-European scale and funding base.
• CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives): Major French public research organization with life-sciences divisions (notably the Institut de Biologie François Jacob) spanning neuroscience, imaging, and biomedical research. Comparable to CRBS in operating as a federated multi-unit French public research institution with shared platforms.

Direct peers

• Institut Curie: French research center combining a hospital with multi-disciplinary biomedical research units in oncology, genetics, and cell biology. Strong overlap with CRBS's oncology (Goetz, Bahram) and genetics (IGMA) programs and a similar translational research model linking bench to clinical care.
• Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC): IGBMC is a Strasbourg-based Inserm/CNRS/Université de Strasbourg research center focused on biomedical and molecular biology research. It is CRBS's closest geographic and structural peer — same institutional governance, same therapeutic-area overlap, and direct competition for the same Inserm/Unistra talent and platform resources.
• Karolinska Institutet: Sweden's leading medical university, integrating biomedical research units across neuroscience, immunology, oncology, and cardiovascular medicine with strong clinical translation. Comparable to CRBS in mission, multi-unit research federation, and public-research funding model.
• Francis Crick Institute: London-based biomedical research institute federating multiple research groups across cancer, neuroscience, immunology, and genetics. Closest international structural analog to CRBS — single-site federation of independent research units under shared scientific platforms — and a direct competitor for European biomedical talent and grants.
• Institut de Biologie Structurale (IBS): French mixed research unit (CEA/CNRS/Université Grenoble Alpes) operating integrated structural biology platforms including cryo-EM, NMR, and X-ray crystallography. Directly comparable to CRBS in federating research units around shared scientific platforms under French public-research governance.
• Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine: German Max Planck institute conducting research in molecular biomedicine, vascular biology, and cell biology. Comparable to CRBS in life-sciences focus, public-research funding model, and reliance on multi-scale imaging infrastructure; competes for EU grants and visiting researchers.
• Institut Pasteur: France's flagship biomedical research institute, federating ~150 research units across immunology, neuroscience, developmental biology, and genetics. Directly comparable to CRBS in mission (multi-unit federation under a single biomedical umbrella), research-area breadth, and translational research positioning, though at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CRBS_Strasbourg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crbs-strasbourg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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