Alvéole Lab

Alvéole Lab is a French life science tools company based in Paris that develops instruments for controlling the cellular microenvironment in the laboratory.Alvéole Lab 是一家总部位于巴黎的法国生命科学工具公司，开发用于在实验室中控制细胞微环境的仪器。

It was founded in 2010 by the life science company builder Quattrocento together with three researchers from the French National Centre for Scientific Research.公司于 2010 年由生命科学企业孵化机构 Quattrocento 与三名法国国家科学研究中心的研究人员共同创立。

Its main product, PRIMO, is a maskless and contactless photopatterning system that lets biologists shape the topography and biochemistry around cultured cells.其主要产品 PRIMO 是一套无掩模、非接触的光图案化系统，使生物学家能够塑造培养细胞周围的地形与生化环境。

The company's tools are used in mechanobiology, toxicology, immunology, oncology and neuroscience, where reproducible control of cell adhesion matters.公司的工具用于力学生物学、毒理学、免疫学、肿瘤学与神经科学等领域，这些领域都要求可重复地控制细胞黏附。

History

• Alvéole was founded in Paris in 2010 by Quattrocento and the CNRS researchers Vincent Studer, Maxime Dahan and Jean-Christophe Galas.Alvéole 于 2010 年在巴黎由 Quattrocento 与法国国家科学研究中心研究员 Vincent Studer、Maxime Dahan 和 Jean-Christophe Galas 创立。
• Quattrocento financed the company's initial phase from 2010, allowing the academic research behind PRIMO to be turned into a marketed instrument.Quattrocento 从 2010 年起为公司的初始阶段提供资金，使 PRIMO 背后的学术研究得以转化为可销售仪器。
• The first PRIMO system was launched in 2016, four years before the company marked its tenth anniversary.首套 PRIMO 系统于 2016 年推出，此时距离公司庆祝成立十周年还有四年。
• Romuald Vally became chief executive in 2016 and led the company through its first commercial scale-up.Romuald Vally 于 2016 年出任首席执行官，带领公司完成首次商业化扩张。
• In July 2017 Alvéole moved to larger premises at 30 rue Campo-Formio in the thirteenth arrondissement of Paris.2017 年 7 月，Alvéole 迁入巴黎十三区 Campo-Formio 街 30 号的更大场所。
• In October 2017 the company was selected as a finalist in the health category of the City of Paris innovation trophies.2017 年 10 月，公司入选巴黎市创新奖健康类别的决赛名单。
• In May 2018 Alvéole signed a distribution agreement with SuSoS for anti-fouling coatings used in cell culture and precise cell-adhesion work.2018 年 5 月，Alvéole 与 SuSoS 签署分销协议，代理用于细胞培养与精确细胞黏附研究的防污涂层。
• In June 2018 PRIMO received the Prix Jean Jerphagnon, and the company presented the technology at the French Ministry of Economy and Finance.2018 年 6 月，PRIMO 获得 Jean Jerphagnon 奖，公司还在法国经济与财政部介绍了这项技术。
• Maxime Dahan, one of the co-founders, died on 30 July 2018, and the company published a tribute describing the loss to its team.联合创始人之一 Maxime Dahan 于 2018 年 7 月 30 日去世，公司发布悼念文章，描述了这一损失对团队的影响。
• On 16 October 2018 Alvéole raised 1 million euros from private investors in its first round of third-party financing, reaching financial independence.2018 年 10 月 16 日，Alvéole 在首轮第三方融资中从私人投资者处筹集 100 万欧元，实现财务独立。
• By then the company had sold more than 35 systems worldwide, multiplied its turnover sixfold since 2016 and set a target of 1.5 million euros of revenue for the end of 2018.当时公司已在全球售出 35 套以上系统，营业额自 2016 年以来增长六倍，并设定了 2018 年底达到 150 万欧元收入的目标。
• It had 12 employees at the time, drawn from biology, chemistry and physics, and made 60 percent of its sales outside France.公司当时有 12 名员工，专业背景涵盖生物学、化学与物理学，60% 的销售额来自法国以外。
• In 2019 Alvéole expanded its distribution network and prepared a direct presence in the United States.2019 年，Alvéole 扩大分销网络，并为在美国建立直接业务做准备。
• In January 2020 it opened a subsidiary in Fairfax, Virginia, to support customers in the United States.2020 年 1 月，公司在美国弗吉尼亚州费尔法克斯开设子公司，以支持美国客户。
• In March 2020 the coronavirus epidemic forced the closure of its offices in Paris, Germany and the United States, and the team moved to remote work.2020 年 3 月，新冠疫情迫使公司关闭巴黎、德国与美国的办公室，团队转为远程办公。
• On 29 September 2020 Alvéole announced a partnership with Leica Microsystems to combine PRIMO micropatterning with Leica cryo-CLEM for cryo-electron tomography workflows.2020 年 9 月 29 日，Alvéole 宣布与 Leica Microsystems 合作，将 PRIMO 微图案化与 Leica cryo-CLEM 结合用于冷冻电子断层扫描流程。
• On 9 December 2020 the company marked its tenth anniversary and noted that four years had passed since the launch of PRIMO.2020 年 12 月 9 日，公司迎来成立十周年，并指出 PRIMO 推出已有四年。

Business and products

• PRIMO is designed to dock on a standard inverted microscope, so laboratories can add photopatterning without replacing their existing imaging equipment.PRIMO 设计为可安装在标准倒置显微镜上，使实验室无需更换现有成像设备即可增加光图案化能力。
• The system uses LIMAP technology, a maskless photolithography method that projects patterns through the microscope objective rather than through a physical mask.该系统采用 LIMAP 技术，这是一种无掩模光刻方法，通过显微镜物镜投射图案，而不是透过实体掩模。
• A digital micromirror device modulates ultraviolet light, creating patterns that can be changed in software between experiments.数字微镜器件对紫外光进行调制，生成可在实验之间通过软件更改的图案。
• In microfabrication mode the projected light cures a photosensitive resist, which then serves as a mould for casting structured PDMS chips.在微加工模式下，投射的光使光敏抗蚀剂固化，随后用作浇铸结构化 PDMS 芯片的模具。
• In protein micropatterning mode the light degrades an anti-fouling polymer coating only where adhesion proteins should attach.在蛋白质微图案化模式下，光仅在黏附蛋白应当附着的位置降解防污聚合物涂层。
• A photo-initiator in the coating reacts with the projected light, and the resulting pattern confines cell adhesion to defined islands or tracks.涂层中的光引发剂与投射光反应，形成的图案将细胞黏附限制在指定的岛状或条状区域。
• Leonardo, the dedicated software, controls pattern design, exposure and alignment, linking the optical hardware to a laboratory workflow.专用软件 Leonardo 控制图案设计、曝光与对准，把光学硬件与实验室工作流程连接起来。
• The system can produce patterns with sub-cellular resolution, small enough to isolate single cells or to shape adhesion at the scale of focal adhesions.该系统可生成亚细胞分辨率的图案，小到足以隔离单个细胞，或在黏着斑尺度上塑造黏附。
• Researchers use PRIMO to study mechanobiology, toxicology, immunology, oncology and neuroscience, where the physical context of a cell changes its behaviour.研究人员使用 PRIMO 研究力学生物学、毒理学、免疫学、肿瘤学与神经科学，在这些领域中细胞的物理环境会改变其行为。
• Patterned islands allow reproducible single-cell adhesion, while tracks and gradients allow studies of cell migration and axon guidance.图案化的岛状区域可实现可重复的单细胞黏附，而条带与梯度则可用于研究细胞迁移与轴突导向。
• Because patterning can be applied to the sides, top or bottom of microstructures, the system can confine cells in three-dimensional arrangements.由于图案化可施加于微结构的侧面、顶部或底部，该系统能够把细胞限制在三维排列中。
• The same optical platform can photopolymerise resins and photosensitive hydrogels, adding mechanical cues to cell environments or creating membranes inside microfluidic channels.同一光学平台还可使树脂与光敏水凝胶发生光聚合，为细胞环境增加力学线索，或在微流控通道内制造膜结构。
• Alvéole argues that better controlled in vitro models can reduce reliance on animal testing and make drug tests more standardised.Alvéole 认为，控制更精确的体外模型可以减少对动物实验的依赖，并使药物测试更加标准化。
• A complete PRIMO installation combines an optical module, the Leonardo software and a chemical reagent, sold together as a platform for academic laboratories.一套完整的 PRIMO 装置由光学模块、Leonardo 软件与化学试剂组成，作为面向学术实验室的平台整体销售。
• The company supports customers with protocol development that combines optics, chemistry and cell culture, and with work to make results reproducible across laboratories.公司通过结合光学、化学与细胞培养的方案开发支持客户，并致力于使结果在不同实验室之间可重复。
• Distribution partners such as SuSoS for coatings and Leica Microsystems for cryo-ET workflows extend the platform into adjacent laboratory techniques.SuSoS 提供的涂层与 Leica Microsystems 提供的冷冻电子断层扫描流程等分销合作，将平台扩展到相邻的实验技术领域。

Organization and governance

• Alvéole is headquartered in Paris and, by 2020, also operated offices in Germany and the United States through a subsidiary in Fairfax, Virginia.Alvéole 总部位于巴黎，到 2020 年还通过弗吉尼亚州费尔法克斯的子公司在美国开展业务，并在德国设有办公室。
• The company employed 12 people in 2018, combining biologists, chemists and physicists in a multidisciplinary research and development team.公司 2018 年有 12 名员工，由生物学家、化学家与物理学家组成多学科研发团队。
• Romuald Vally has served as chief executive since 2016 and speaks for the company on its commercial strategy and scientific positioning.Romuald Vally 自 2016 年起担任首席执行官，代表公司阐述商业战略与科学定位。
• Vincent Studer, Maxime Dahan and Jean-Christophe Galas founded the company with Quattrocento, which remained its main early investor.Vincent Studer、Maxime Dahan 与 Jean-Christophe Galas 同 Quattrocento 共同创立公司，后者一直是其早期主要投资方。
• Quattrocento describes itself as a creator of deep technology companies in the life sciences and had founded seven companies by 2018.Quattrocento 将自身定位为生命科学领域深度技术企业的创建者，到 2018 年已创立七家公司。
• Bertrand Fourquet, president of Quattrocento, said the 2018 fundraising marked Alvéole's transition to operational independence.Quattrocento 总裁 Bertrand Fourquet 表示，2018 年的融资标志着 Alvéole 转向运营独立。
• Its customer list includes the Institut Curie and CEA in France, the University of Manchester, McGill University, the Karolinska Institute, the NIH, the FDA, Stanford University and UNSW.其客户名单包括法国的居里研究所与法国原子能委员会、曼彻斯特大学、麦吉尔大学、卡罗林斯卡学院、美国国立卫生研究院、美国食品药品监督管理局、斯坦福大学与新南威尔士大学。
• The company operates as a small specialised supplier rather than a large instrument group, with sales, support and product development kept close to its research users.公司作为专业化的中小型供应商运营，而不是大型仪器集团，销售、支持与产品开发都贴近科研用户。

Financials

• Quattrocento financed Alvéole from 2010 until the company's first external round, covering the period in which PRIMO was developed and launched.Quattrocento 从 2010 年起为 Alvéole 提供资金，直到公司完成首轮外部融资，覆盖了 PRIMO 开发与上市的阶段。
• The October 2018 round raised 1 million euros from private investors and was described as the company's first third-party financing.2018 年 10 月的融资从私人投资者处筹集 100 万欧元，被描述为公司的首轮第三方融资。
• Turnover multiplied sixfold between 2016 and 2018, and the company aimed for 1.5 million euros of revenue by the end of 2018.2016 年至 2018 年间营业额增长六倍，公司目标是在 2018 年底实现 150 万欧元收入。
• More than 35 systems had been sold worldwide by October 2018, with 60 percent of sales generated outside France.到 2018 年 10 月，公司已在全球售出 35 套以上系统，其中 60% 的销售额来自法国以外。
• The company has remained privately held and has not published later revenue figures or the size of subsequent financing.公司一直保持私人持股，未公布后续收入数据或后续融资规模。
• The 2020 US subsidiary and distribution expansion were intended to support international sales, particularly in a United States market interested in new in vitro models.2020 年的美国子公司与分销扩张旨在支持国际销售，尤其是面向对新体外模型感兴趣的美国市场。
• Its pricing model is based on selling complete instruments and reagents to laboratories rather than on a per-experiment subscription.其定价模式是向实验室销售完整仪器与试剂，而不是按实验次数收取订阅费。

Reception

• PRIMO received the Prix Jean Jerphagnon in 2018, an award that brought the company an invitation to present its work at the French finance ministry.PRIMO 于 2018 年获得 Jean Jerphagnon 奖，该奖项使公司受邀在法国财政部介绍其工作。
• In 2017 the company was a finalist in the health section of the Paris Grands Prix de l'Innovation, a municipal competition for young technology firms.2017 年，公司入围巴黎创新大奖健康类决赛，这是一项面向年轻科技企业的市级竞赛。
• By its tenth anniversary in 2020, Alvéole described a growing user community and continued improvements to its micropatterning technology.到 2020 年成立十周年时，Alvéole 描述了不断扩大的用户群体以及对微图案化技术的持续改进。
• The Leica Microsystems partnership announced in 2020 positioned PRIMO as part of a cryo-electron tomography workflow rather than a stand-alone patterning device.2020 年宣布的 Leica Microsystems 合作将 PRIMO 定位为冷冻电子断层扫描流程的一部分，而不是独立的图案化设备。
• Its instruments are used by laboratories such as the Institut Curie, CEA, Stanford and the NIH, which the company cites as evidence of scientific acceptance.其仪器被居里研究所、法国原子能委员会、斯坦福大学与美国国立卫生研究院等实验室使用，公司以此作为科学界认可的证明。
• At the ASCB EMBO 2017 conference, researcher Manuel Théry demonstrated PRIMO at the company's booth, an example of its use in the cell biology community.在 2017 年 ASCB EMBO 会议上，研究员 Manuel Théry 在公司展台演示了 PRIMO，这是其在细胞生物学界应用的一个例子。
• The 2018 fundraising announcement presented Alvéole as an example of a French deep technology strategy that keeps academic research and industrial production in the same country.2018 年的融资公告将 Alvéole 视为法国深度技术战略的范例，该战略使学术研究与工业生产留在同一国家。

Notable people

• Romuald Vally is chief executive and has led Alvéole since 2016, including its first external fundraising and US expansion.Romuald Vally 是首席执行官，自 2016 年起领导 Alvéole，包括首轮外部融资与美国扩张。
• Vincent Studer is a co-founder and CNRS researcher whose work on cell microenvironment control underpins the PRIMO platform.Vincent Studer 是联合创始人兼法国国家科学研究中心研究员，其在细胞微环境控制方面的工作构成了 PRIMO 平台的基础。
• Maxime Dahan was a co-founder and CNRS researcher who died in July 2018, and the company credited him with shaping its scientific direction.Maxime Dahan 是联合创始人兼法国国家科学研究中心研究员，于 2018 年 7 月去世，公司称其塑造了公司的科学方向。
• Jean-Christophe Galas is the third co-founder and worked at the Jean Perrin Laboratory at CNRS and Pierre and Marie Curie University.Jean-Christophe Galas 是第三位联合创始人，曾在法国国家科学研究中心与皮埃尔和玛丽·居里大学的让·佩兰实验室工作。
• Bertrand Fourquet is president of Quattrocento and represented the early investor when Alvéole reached financial independence in 2018.Bertrand Fourquet 是 Quattrocento 总裁，在 Alvéole 于 2018 年实现财务独立时代表早期投资方。