CER GROUPE
CER Groupe (Health Department) is an SME that was created in 1977. Its annual turnover is around ± € 7.106. Among its ± 120 employees, 55 of them work at the Health Department. The aim of the CER Groupe is to contribute to the development of business fields linked to Agro-Food. The Health Department is an accredited laboratory for the detection of residues (anabolic steroids, ß 2 agonists and corticosteroids) and other residues in food and feed products. Its activities also include the detection of antibiotics (chloramphenicol, nitrofurans together with coccidiostats) in products of animal origin. All these analyses are conducted under ISO 17025 certification. For these detections, immunological methods (RIA and EIA) and physico-chemical methods (GCMS, LC-MS/MS) are regularly used. In 2004, the detection of pesticides in products of vegetal origin will also be implemented. The production of immunological reagents is a specialty of CER Groupe. This branch of activity is also delivered under ISO’s certification. On the other hand, the pharmaceutical industry regularly calls on the laboratory for performing pharmacokinetic, metabolic and residue studies for the development of new molecules. All the reagents generated are commercialized as diagnostic kits that are available for laboratories concerned by residue control.
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE
Participation in EU projects : Poultry-Check, BioCop, MoniQA.
Production of antibodies on large scale for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.
Development and validation of screening and confirmatory methods for the detection of contaminants in food and feed.
Production and marketing of ELISA kits for the detection of residues.
Laboratory with routine control for the detection of veterinary drugs (Directive 96/23EC), pesticides in cereals, mycotoxins, etc, for the Food Agency and certification companies.
MAIN TASKS WITHIN CONffIDENCE
WP2a : Deputy leader of the WP2a working group on coccidiostats. Production of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, evaluation of the immuno-chemical reagents by ELISA, production of test materials and support to the validation of the screening and LCMS methods.
WP2b : Antibiotics: p roduction of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, evaluation of the immuno-chemical reagents by ELISA , production of test materials and support to the validation of the screening and LCMS methods.
WP4a : Alkaloids: production of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, evaluation of the immuno-chemical reagents by ELISA .
WP4b : Marine biotoxins: production of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, evaluation of the immuno-chemical reagents by ELISA .
WP4c : Leader of the WP4c working group on Mycotoxins. Production of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies -Evaluation of the immuno-chemical reagents by ELISA for mycotoxins.
PROJECT TEAM
Contact :
Dr Philippe Delahaut
CER Groupe
Health Department
Rue du Point du Jour, 8
B 6900 Marloie
Tel : +32 (0)84 310 090
Fax : +32 (0)84 316 108
Email :
Web site : http://www.cergroupe.be
Staff :
Dr. Philippe Delahaut :
DVM, M. Sc., director of Health Department – CER Groupe, 20 years of experience in food analysis and development of immunological methods, management of animal facilities for the production of antibodies, expert at Belgian (AFSCA) and European (CEN/TEC 275/WG 12 – Food allergens) committees.
CONffIDENCE: Deputy leader WP2a coccidiostats.
Mr. Michel Dubois :
Scientist, management of the Health Department – CER Groupe, 20 years of experience in the detection of veterinary residues .
CONffIDENCE: involved in WP2a coccidiostats and WP2b antibiotics.
Dr. Anne Catherine Huet :
Scientist, Health Department – CER Groupe, experience in the development of ELISA and biosensor methods for the detection of residues
CONffIDENCE: Deputy leader WP4c mycotoxins.