Biotechnologies and Environmental Analytics Platform

From bioprocesses and water quality to food safety and plant biology, the Biotechnologies and Environmental Analytics Platform (BEAP) offers cutting-edge equipment and expertise in analytical chemistry, omics technologies and bioprocessing to scientists, industry and public stakeholders. Eager to provide a tailor-made approach, BEAP engineers enable to analyse numerous types of samples ranging from water, soil, plants and microorganisms to animal tissues. The bioreactor facilities allow providing a research infrastructure for end-to-end bioprocess development (up to TRL5), including upscaling of production volumes up to 50L and downstream processing. It is currently used for yeast, bacteria and plant cell cultures, in order to produce biomass, proteins, secondary metabolites and other high added value compounds.

The support provided by BEAP team members includes the scientific and technical expertise and knowledge of engineers, as well as the implementation, manipulation and maintenance of state-of-the-art equipment.

KEY EXPERTISE

Bioprocessing

Optimisation of processes, on-demand medium formulation, upscaling of existing or newly developed processes, as well as production, purification and characterisation of enzymes.

Sample preparation

To perform analyses in the domains of e.g. water quality, food safety, quality control or plant biology.

Omics

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of molecules such as DNA, RNA, proteins and/or peptides and metabolites in microorganisms, plants or animal samples.

Analytical science

Analysis of primary and secondary metabolites, determination of targeted xenobiotics or natural compounds in various environmental or biological matrices (water, food, plants, etc), from trace contaminants to major elements.

MAIN APPLICATION AREAS

  • Production of biomass for the probiotic sector, e.g. with Probiotics
  • Optimisation of process and custom-made cultivation media (service)
  • Production of enzymes or secondary metabolites in volumes up to 50L (service)
  • Water quality or food safety: determination of targeted xenobiotics or natural compounds from trace contaminants to major elements
  • Quantitative and qualitative analysis of molecules such as DNA, RNA, proteins and/or peptides and metabolites in environmental or living samples, e.g. SMARTWALL, ECOTREE.
  • Purification and characterisation of enzymes, e.g. CABERNET

EQUIPMENT

Genomics and Transcriptomics

  • General molecular biology labs
  • Liquid handling robot for PCR and qPCR set-up (EPmotion 5073 Eppendorf)
  • Capillary Sequencer (ABI3500-8 capillaries, Life technologies) for Sanger sequencing and genotyping applications
  • Next-generation sequencing: MiSeq (Illumina) for small to medium size genome sequencing (bacterial and fungal genome sequencing, gene expression profiling, amplicon sequencing)
  • Real-Time qPCR (ViiA7, Life technologies) 96- and 384-wells plate design
  • PCR machines (Biometra and Life technologies)
  • Chip-based capillary electrophoresis machine to analyse RNA, DNA, and protein (2100 Bioanalyzer, Agilent Technologies)
  • Biolistic particle delivery system for transformation (PDS-1000/HEPTA SYSTEM, Bio-Rad Laboratories)

Proteomics

  • Gel-based and gel-free analysis: Gel electrophoresis for protein or peptide separation, quantification and/or characterization (IPGphor III, HPE™ FlatTop Tower, 2D-DIGE, classical 2D gels, BlueNative gels, 1D gels, western-blotting, off-gel fractionator), Fluorescent imaging scanner (Typhoon FLA 9500, GE Healthcare)
  • CCD camera for chemiluminescence detection (MiniLAS, GE Healthcare)
  • Automatic processing of protein containing gel plugs for further analysis: spot picking (Ettan Spot picker, GE Healthcare), digestion with enzymes and spotting on MALDI targets (Freedom EVO200, Tecan)
  • Preparative chromatography for protein purification (NGC, Bio-rad)
  • Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption and Ionization, for protein identification and de novo peptides sequencing (SCIEX MALDI-ToF/ToF 5800TM)
  • Shotgun analysis for identification of peptides / proteins with Ekspert™ nanoLC 425 (micro, nano mode, Eksigent, SCIEX) coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometer TripleTOF® 6600+ (SCIEX) and relative quantification.
  • SWATH® acquisition on TripleTOF® system for identification and quantitation of complex samples.
  • Capillary Electrophoresis CESI-MS (CESI 8000 Plus ESI-MS System, SCIEX) for PTMs analysis, proteoforms, protein conformation and interactions under native conditions.

Environmental chemistry and biochemistry – Metabolomics

  • Sample preparation laboratories for the extraction and preconcentration of analytes from various matrices (Solid-Phase Extraction, Quechers, Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction, Pressured-Fluid Extraction, Soxhlet, Solid-Phase Micro-Extraction, Microwave digestion)
  • General analytical instruments: UV-Visible and fluorescence spectrophotometers, TOC/TN analyser, CHNS elemental analyser, Microplate reader
  • Anion- and cation-exchange chromatographs (Thermo, Metrohm) with on-line eluent generation, electrochemical suppression and detection by conductivity or amperometry
  • Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatographs (Waters , Agilent U-HPLC) with Diode-Array, Fluorescence and Light-Scattering detectors
  • Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry (Agilent 7900 ICP-MS) with collision cell and single-particle module for the high-sensitivity analysis of heavy metals, rare-earth elements, alkaline and alkaline-earth metals
  • Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatographs coupled to tandem Mass Spectrometry (Agilent, SCIEX based on Triple-Quadrupole and Quadrupole-Linear Ion Trap technologies for the targeted analysis of trace contaminants and natural compounds
  • Gas chromatographs coupled to single (GC-MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), with multi-purpose autosamplers (liquid injection, large-volume sampling, headspace, Solid-Phase Micro-Extraction, thermal desorption, pyrolysis)
  • Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC i-class, Waters) coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometer (SCIEX TripleTOF® 6600+) for semi-quantification and characterization of metabolites

Microscopy

  • Laser Scanning Microscope (ZEISS, LSM880)
  • Hyperspectral Microscope (CytoViva)
  • Microtome (LEITZ) ; Cryo-microtome & Vibratome (LEICA MICROSYSTEMS) 
  • Invertoscopes & Stereomicroscopes

Bioprocess

  • 1 x 3L Photobioreactors (Biobench)
  • 6x 5L WV Benchtop bioreactors (Biobench)
  • 8x Benchtop bioreactors (Minifors 2) 8x 4L WV vessels + 8x 2L WV vessels
  • 4x 2L WV Benchtop bioreactors (Biobench)
  • 8x 0,5L WV Benchtop bioreactors (Biobench)
  • 3x 10L WV Wave-shaking incubator (Celltainer)
  • 2x 45L WV Pilot scale stirred tank bioreactors (BioTwin)
  • 1x Solid-state fermentation bioreactors 2,4 L WV( (Labfors 5 solids and enzymatic)
  • 1x orbital-shaking incubator (Minitron)
  • 2x orbital-shaking incubators (Ecotron)
  • 6x orbital-shaking incubators (INNOVA 44R)
  • 1x Large volume centrifugator (Sorval BIOS 16 SP)
  • 1x Autoclave (Systec VX-150)
  • 16x Optical density probe (CGQBioR)
  • 4x Optical density probe (Dencytee)
  • 1x Sonicator (BioruptorPlus)
  • 1x Tangential flow filtration system (TFF) (Sartoflow Smart)
  • Plant Growth Chambers (Weiss Technik Fitotron® SGC 120)
  • ASFE Super Fluid Extraction system (WATERS MV10)
  • Pilot plants for wastewater treatment (Activated sludge, MBBR, MBR processes from 1 to 10m3)

Software

Dedicated software suites in different domains, e.g.:

  • CLC Main and Genomics workbench
  • Biogazelle qbase+
  • GeneMapper v5
  • ProteinPilot
  • Mascot Platform v2.6.1 (Daemon, Distiller, server)
  • MultiQuant v3
  • Chromeleon v7.2
  • MassHunter
  • EVE (Infors)
  • Minitabs
  • CGQuant (Aquilabiolab)
  • ArcAIR (Hamilton)

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

KEY PARTNERS

The platform provides accessibility to its resources for industry, public and private stakeholders as well as academic partners, in the fields of biotechnologies for nutraceuticals, cosmetics, biocontrol as well as in environmental analysis.

 

Contact

Dr Jenny RENAUT
Dr Jenny RENAUT
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