RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AREA
BIOTECHNOLOGY LABORATORY:
The laboratory area has specialized equipment to provide the physicochemical and sanitary conditions required for the development and control of biotechnological processes and is equipped with easy-to-clean furniture covered by sanitary materials (Corian®).
It contains one bioreactor (New Brunswick®) with its corresponding semi-automated control station, specialized in cellular culture and fermentation, with the purpose of increasing the produced cell mass, and in accordance, the metabolite of interest.
For the process parameters control, we count with an analysis area, equipped with a biochemical analyzer for metabolite quantification. And since the biological processes tend to carry a greater amount of by-products, we have a HPLC for the separation, quantification and characterization of the product of interest.
Regarding to the cellular growth control, the laboratory is equipped with microscopes for cell counting, microfiltration systems with membranes for the monitoring with dry weight and clinical centrifuge. It is worth mentioning that we also count with a cultivation and incubation room. This provides the adequate sterile conditions for the propagation and conservation of the working strains.
Likewise, we count with a deep-freezer to guarantee the conservation of the strains and cell packages as inoculum for processes.
With the equipment in this area we can develop cellular growth and biosynthesis projects, establishing adequate parameters for the process and optimizing the performance for its scaling.
CHEMISTRY LABORATORY:
The chemistry laboratory area contains the necessary equipment to perform operations such as: extraction, isolation and purification of analytes of interest; also for qualitative and quantitative analysis and chemical synthesis. It has the equipment and materials to perform chromatographic techniques, such as: column chromatography and TLC (Thin-layer chromatography), reagents and glassworks required to perform qualitative and quantitative sample analysis (determination of functional groups).
In order to facilitate the extraction operation and organic synthesis, we have a rotary evaporator to evaporate solvents at a reduced pressure. Regarding organic synthesis, the laboratory is equipped with a 6L reactor for escalation. It also has a reactor for catalysis and hydrogenation. (Parr® style).
We can develop analysis, extraction and purification techniques for metabolites of interest obtained in the biotechnology area with this laboratory equipment, such as the development of organic synthesis and scaling routes.
Within this area there’s also more sophisticated equipment with a polarimeter for the detection and characterization of chiral compounds obtained through biosynthesis.
