What
The IndBioTech Lab aims at the development of sustainable microbial-based bioprocesses, mainly valorizing residual biomasses as in the concept of biorefineries. This is pursued by tailoring microbial strains, mainly but not exclusively Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeasts, for the production of heterologous proteins, fine and bulk chemicals, biofuels, nutraceuticals.
Synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, flow cytometry, screening protocols and adaptive laboratory evolution are the approaches used to leverage microbial potential, including robustness against stress, to match industrial requirements. The same techniques are used to enhance natural productions or to introduce heterologous patways.
After a first phase of shake flask experiments, these processes are scaled-up in bioreactors to better study their feasability and performance at a larger scale.
In parallel, pre-treatment and hydrolysis protocols to valorize residual biomasses are optimised, aiming at the developement of integrated biorefineries. Among the biomasses used at IndBiotech Lab there are sugar beet pulp, sugar beet molasses and camelina meal.
Who&Where
IndBioTech Lab, lead by professor Paola Branduardi is part of the Biotechnology and Bioscience Department of University of Milano-Bicocca, in Milan, Italy.
The research group is composed by a full professor, an associate professor, two assistant professors, two postdoctoral fellows, nine PhD students (from university and from companies) and three Master students.