Research and innovation in advanced galenics for health, cosmetics, and agri-food
The Gala® (GALénique Avancée) platform is an integral part of the Centre RAPSODEE (UMR CNRS 5302) at IMT Mines Albi, whose research activities are based on a process engineering approach focused on “products with controlled properties.” The advanced galenics approach falls within the field of multi-structured materials functionalized by the integration of active elements or modification of the state or composition of the surface through coating. Its technological offering is based on two main areas of development for multi-structured materials:
- Generation (generation processes, formulation screening methods based on solubility, miscibility, interactions);
- Behavior analysis (functionality, interaction with the surrounding environment, stability).
The Gala® platform is now recognized by regional, national, and international industry players as an important link in the chain for the development of active molecules for applications in human and animal health and agri-food.
A dedicated research team
 Maria Inês RÉ |
Laurène HAURIE |
Antoine PERRON |
Angélique |
- Maria Inês RÉ : professor, platform director, responsible for developing partnership-based research, setting up and monitoring projects carried out within the platform, and overseeing the operation of its technical facilities.
- Laurène HAURIE : research engineer, assists the platform director with the technical and financial management of the platform, participates in setting up and monitoring projects, and conducts tests.
- Antoine PERRON : research engineer, responsible for conducting experiments, drafting summary documents and experimental protocols in conjunction with the platform's pilots and equipment.
- Angélique DE NEIVA PEREIRA : laboratory technician, responsible for conducting tests and characterizations on the platform's scientific and technical equipment, and prevention assistant.
A support team
For projects on the platform, the team can be reinforced by researchers or engineering and technical staff from the RAPSODEE Center (technical and engineering center, POLETI) or from Gala® member laboratories. For collaborative research projects, the team can also be reinforced for a limited period by temporary staff.
Platform governance
The Gala® platform is a shared advanced galenic research structure, bringing together five partner laboratories in Occitanie, whose main supervisory bodies are IMT Mines Albi, CNRS, UT3, and INPT. The platform is governed by a Steering and Management Committee (COG), a Scientific and Technical Committee (CST), and an Operational Manager responsible for the structure's operations (IMT Mines Albi). It has a structured governance system and secure access, and operates on the basis of agreements and collaborative projects (research, theses, services). Access is supervised by the operational team, which provides support, planning, and confidentiality.
Partnerships and projects developed by the Gala® platform
Development of innovative strategies for reducing health risks (emerging or re-emerging infectious diseases)
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LEISHNEW Project - Towards a sustainable, single-dose treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis (ANRS funding, 2024-2027)
This project aims to develop an innovative and sustainable form of amphotericin B (AmB), administered by single-dose intralesional injection, to treat human cutaneous leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease affecting the most vulnerable populations. The research, carried out by the Gala® platform, combines expertise in process engineering, pharmaceutical formulation, particle characterization, pharmacology, and molecular biology, in collaboration with two Brazilian teams (Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro UFRJ and Institut Oswald Cruz FIOCRUZ).
The aim is to produce biodegradable particles with controlled release of AmB (AmB/PLGA) in a sustainable manner, while ensuring their clinical efficacy, technical and economic feasibility, and low environmental impact, for future adoption in a global health context.
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GALANTH Project - New galenic strategies to optimize the action of Praziquantel against schistosomiasis
The GALANTH project, funded by the ANR (2024–2028), aims to improve the treatment of schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease affecting more than 250 million people worldwide. The current drug, Praziquantel (PZQ), has several limitations: low efficacy against juvenile forms of the parasite, poor compliance in children due to the taste and size of the tablets, and unstable pharmacokinetic profiles. To address these issues, GALANTH is developing a new oral formulation of PZQ, based on supersaturated forms encapsulated in a lipid/surfactant system, aiming for improved therapeutic efficacy, more pediatric-friendly administration, and controlled release of the active ingredient.
This multidisciplinary project is being conducted in collaboration with the SoftMat UMR 5623 laboratory, the UMR MEDIS / Université Clermont Auvergne, and the Institut Oswald Cruz FIOCRUZ in Brazil. It draws on expertise in physicochemistry, biopharmacy, and pharmacology, and includes a doctoral thesis and a postdoctoral contract.
Gala2 Project (2019-2023) - new means and new partnership model for the creation of functional materials
The Gala2 project strengthened the technological and partnership capabilities of the Gala® platform around the spray drying process, one of its flagship processes. Structured according to a hybrid model (between an industrial chair and a joint laboratory), the project brought together Gala®, the Toulouse Biotechnology Institute TBI laboratory (INSA, CNRS, INRAE) and three industrial companies: Weishardt Holding, Ovalie Innovation, and Techni-Process, with the support of the Occitanie Region (PRRI).
The main objective was to develop functional mono- or multi-component particles for applications in health, nutrition, and agri-food, using non-competitive plant resources. The project resulted in the establishment of a shared pilot drying unit (SD 3.5 – capacity 8 to 10 kg/h), representative of an industrial scale. Gala2 has made it possible to sustainably strengthen the scientific and technical skills of the Gala® platform, particularly in the generation and characterization of functional materials, while establishing an innovative and reproducible framework for academic-industrial collaboration.
High-quality collaborative research
The Gala® platform has contributed significantly to the development of high-quality collaborative research, resulting in three doctoral theses and four scientific publications with industrial partners (Seppic, Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, Fluid Air Division de Spraying Systems):
Publications with manufacturers:
• Dokmak, et al. Journal of Electrostatics, 2025
• Barceló-Chong CM et al., Int J Pharm. 2024
• Barcelo-Chong CM et al. Int J Pharm. 2024
• S.P Lacerda, et al., Pharm Dev Technol, 2024
• L. Mugnier, et al. Pharm Dev Technol. 2023
Beyond its strong potential for industrial partnerships, the Gala® platform is also used to develop academic collaborations, such as doctoral theses that explore new topics (development of biomaterials, development of delivery systems for molecules based on modified biopolymers) and new scientific collaborations, and to promote the work.
Publications with academic partners:
• Carvalho L. T. et al.Reactive & Functional Polymers, 2022
• K. Pascaud et al. Colloids & surfaces. A, Physicoch & engineering aspects, 2022
A technical platform at the Causse site in Castres
The Gala® platform has a 400m² technical facility located in the Causse Business Park in Castres. This facility is a shared resource offering equipment for testing and characterizing processes and materials under specific conditions. It comprises three main areas:
- Laboratory and storage spaces for characterizing materials and developing processes on a bench scale (100 m²);
- Laboratory spaces in a controlled atmosphere zone for pilot-scale processes (75 m² in ISO class 7 and 35 m² in ISO class 8, according to European standard ISO 14644-1). These are work areas with positive pressure relative to atmospheric pressure, mainly found in the pharmaceutical industry. Entry and exit are via an airlock.
- Office space (approximately 150 m²) to accommodate visiting scientists and the Gala® platform team.
Characterization of materials
The first category of activities on the platform focuses on characterizing materials using techniques such as infrared microscopy, Raman microscopy, and many other techniques that enable products to be characterized and their performance or stability to be studied.
Discover the platform's characterization equipment
Processes for generating and shaping formulated solids
The Gala® platform brings together processes for generating and shaping solids. These include extrusion and hot coating, prilling, and spray drying. Some processes are studied at different scales, from bench scale to pilot scale, such as spray drying and hot extrusion. Others are studied directly at the pilot scale, such as the prilling process and the hot coating process. Work may focus, for example, on product development, the recovery of by-products, and the feasibility and optimization of processes.