Labover is a French

biotechnology Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...

firm which specializes in

laboratory A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratories are found in a variety of settings such as schools ...

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

History

Labover was established in 1953. Since 2000, Labover has supplied more than 20 of its BSL3 truck-trailer laboratory units, primarily to

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

research institutes or to French military hospitals. In 1994, Labover joined with two other companies to broaden their offer to supply complete turnkey laboratories aimed at the French market. In 1997, the

ISO9000 The ISO 9000 family is a set of international standards for quality management systems. It was developed in March 1987 by International Organization for Standardization. The goal of these standards is to help organizations ensure that they meet ...

catalogue included autoclaves, furnaces, and furniture, and was targeted to research, institutional and teaching environments. Sometime prior to October 2003, four tractor-trailer BSL-3 units were sold to the

Palestinian Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, ...

. In October 2004, Labover was the beneficiary of a Franco-Chinese agreement that led to the donation of four of its truck-trailer BSL-3 laboratory units. The contract was worth €3.2m. The devices are contained on a

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

truck chassis within a 40-foot TEU. A second 20-foot TEU holds the electrical power and water purifier unit. Labover supplied the necessary acetone, ethanol, acetonitrile (HPLC grade) and ethyl acetate to scientists at the IBMM in Montpellier for a 2014 paper. In a 2019 review article, Zhiming Yuan of the

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; ) is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's largest research organization, with 106 research i ...

and China's premier infectious diseases investigations unit (the

Wuhan Institute of Virology The Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (WIV; zh, s=中国科学院武汉病毒研究所) is a research institute on virology under the Wuhan Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Located in Jiangxia District, Wuh ...

) mentioned the Labover facilities that were copied and improved over a ten-year period such that the Chinese could now help the government of

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

with Chinese-standardized mobile units in their battle against

Ebola Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after in ...

. Yuan said that "the standardization of laboratory biosafety management in China" helped by Labover "provides legal and technical guaranteed on-set operations" and thus was born a Chinese success story that is now sold to the world. Fifteen years after the initial purchase of a handful of Labover mobile units, China had self-constructed over 100 new BSL3 units.

References

{{reflist 1953 establishments in France Healthcare companies of France Construction and civil engineering companies of France Biotechnology companies of France