bioMérieux invests in Plair to advance environmental monitoring in pharma

Global in vitro diagnostics leader bioMérieux has invested over CHF 1 million in Geneva-based scale-up Plair, whose RAPID-C+ system is setting a new standard for real-time viable particle monitoring in pharmaceutical cleanrooms.

bioMérieux, a world leader in in vitro diagnostics headquartered in Marcy-l’Étoile, France, has announced an investment of over CHF 1 million in Plair, a Geneva-based scale-up developing real-time microbial detection and air sampling solutions. The investment marks a strategic expansion of bioMérieux’s pharmaceutical quality control offering and establishes a formal partnership between the two companies. As part of the collaboration, Michael Reynier, Senior Vice President of Pharma Quality Control at bioMérieux, will join Plair’s Board of Directors.

Founded as a spin-off of the University of Geneva, Plair specializes in professional environmental monitoring systems using proprietary laser-based detection technology capable of identifying allergens, air pollution, bacteria, and virus aerosols in real time. Its flagship product, RAPID-C+, is a unique real-time viable particle counter that combines total and viable particle counting with continuous certified sampling on standard agar media, enabling microbial identification and supporting faster, more informed decision-making in pharmaceutical cleanroom environments. The product is already commercially available.

The partnership addresses a growing need in pharmaceutical manufacturing, where environmental monitoring in cleanrooms is subject to increasingly stringent regulatory requirements. RAPID-C+’s biofluorescent particle counting methodology represents a new approach to this challenge, and bioMérieux’s endorsement is expected to accelerate its regulatory acceptance and industry adoption.

The investment builds on Plair’s earlier institutional backing, including a CHF 300,000 growth loan awarded by the FONGIT Innovation Fund in 2023, and reinforces Geneva’s position as a hub for precision environmental sensing and life sciences innovation. With bioMérieux present in more than 160 countries, the partnership provides Plair with a global commercial platform to scale its technology across the pharmaceutical industry.