Bioprocesses Development Program

The research program of the Bioprocess Sector uses living cells and their components to support the development of innovative products by BRI's industrial partners. The Sector has developed expertise in the design of vectors, employing such organisms as bacteria, yeast, insect and mammalian cells. In order to support the development of products by industrial partners, the Bioprocess Sector develops expertise, methods, and rigorously controlled bioprocesses in-house, at industrial levels.

Bacteriocins
The Bioprocess Sector team has undertaken studies on the production of small proteins produced by lactic acid bacteria called "bacteriocins" which can kill other bacterial species. The team is investigating synthetic reactions using various enzymes, and has succeeded in reversing the behaviour of a class of enzymes which may be used as environmentally friendly biocatalysts.

Vectors and Gene therapy
Given the growing interest around the world in the promise of gene therapies, the Sector has developed several vectors for gene therapy research, some of which feature in preclinical trials. The gene delivery vectors, including adenoviruses, adeno-associated viruses and retroviruses may eventually provide a powerful system for delivery of therapeutic genes to specific tissues in the human body. In related work, scientists in the Bioprocess Sector have developed special expertise in the use of viruses as vectors for transporting genes to specific cells in the body, without subjecting other tissues to viral infection. The team has succeeded in controlling when the gene is turned on in transfected cells - ones into which foreign DNA has been injected. And it has perfected a so-called "Teflon" gene vector - one whose natural targeting mechanism has been removed. In preclinical trials with mice, this vector shows promise for treating the symptoms of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Transfection
Optimization of transfection process of suspension-growing HEK293 cells in bioreactors using polycationic polymers has been successfully translated to major increases in the expression yields of various recombinant proteins. This has been obtained following key improvements in the expression vector, the cell line, the medium composition and the structure of the polycationic polymer.

Insect Cells
Metabolic pathway analysis combined with rational medium design and advanced process monitoring and control led to a successful implementation of a fed-batch process for cultivation of insect cells at very high cell densities and high yield production.