Biocatalyst and Bioproduct Development Facility (BBDF)
Current Research:
Research in the BBDF has focussed on the biodegradation of organic contaminants, mainly sulfur-containing and halogenated compounds.
More recently, we have been interested in microbial communities of interest in agricultural settings, including development of feed
additives to reduce methane production in cattle.
Culturing and Fermentation:
The lab is equipped to carry out fermentation optimization studies and the production of up to 40 L of bacterial, yeast, fungal or
mammalian cell cultures for a wide range of applications in the environmental, chemical and pharmaceutical fields. Downstream
processing includes centrifugation, homogenization and cross-flow filtration.
Available Equiment:
-
Four 14-L autoclavable stirred tank reactors that have been modified to operate at
temperatures up to 90 C° pH, temperature, DO2 and foam control; 4-gas mixer
(New Brunswick BioFlo 110) - Six 1-L airlift bioreactors
- Orbital shakers
- CO2 incubators
- Biological Safety Cabinet
- Tissue culture roller drums
- Ultra-low temperature freezer
Proteomics and Protein Purification:
The BBDF houses equipment for 2D DIGE is available for proteomic studies, and includes a fluorescence imager and robotic spot
picker. A state of the art protein purification system is also available.
Available Equiment:
- Two Dimensional Difference Gel Electrophoresis (DIGE) System
(General Electric 2D DIGE) - Protein Purification System
(General Electric ÄKTA) - Laser Activated Fluorescence Imager
(General Electric Typhoon) - Robotic Spot Picker
(General Electric Ettan)
Molecular Biology and Sequencing:
The BBDF has equipment for traditional molecular biology and molecular microbial ecology, including PCR and
real time PCR, Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) and Repetitive Sequence-Based PCR (rep-PCR). TRU also has
an IonTorrent Personal Genome Machine (PGM) Genetic Sequencer that can be made fully accessible to visiting scientists.
Analytical Equipment:
The BBDF houses a gas chromatograph with Flame Ionization Detector, Electron Capture Detector and Pulsed Flame
Photometric Detector, as well as a CombiPAL autosampler for liquid, headspace and Solid Phase Micro Extraction
injections.
TRU Also Has the Following Analytical Equiment:
- Agilent Quadrupole Time-Of-Flight Liquid Chromatography/ Mass Spectrometry (Q-TOF LC/MS) System
- 500 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Machine
- Gas Chromatography — Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) System
- Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time Of Flight (MALDI-TOF) Mass Spectrometer