17^th Euro Biotechnology Congress September 25-27, 2017 Berlin, Germany

Biography:

Mark Nuijten trained as a Physician and worked in clinical practice before completing an international MBA from Erasmus University, Rotterdam. He completed his PhD in Health Economics at the Erasmus University, Rotterdam, in 2003 and the thesis entitled as “In search of more confidence in health economic modeling”. He was Board Director of ISPOR (2002-2004) and Chair of the Management Board of Value in Health (2002-2004). He is a pioneer in the field of Healthcare Innovation in Biotechnology and Nutrition, and has been the first classical health economist successfully applying and developing sales forecast methodologies for valuation of biotechnology companies. Prior to setting up A2M, he was a partner with MEDTAP International. As a VP Business Development for Europe, he established global Pricing and Reimbursement Consultancy Services for MEDTAP. Before MEDTAP, he was a Managing Director of the Quintiles office in the Netherlands

Abstract:

Registration of a medicinal product by EMA or FDA used to be the main determinant for the future sales forecast of the product and would justify a higher valuation of the share of the company, especially for a biotech company with only a limited number of products. Contrary, new emerging requirements for reimbursement authorities, payers and drug policy changes are increasingly going to determine the actual future sales and the actual post-launch costs. The current most important criteria for coverage decisions are effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and budgetary impact, which are taken into consideration to make a value for money decision. As the future financial performance of a pharmaceutical company is directly related to the free cash flow of a new drug, an appropriate assessment of the potential sales forecast of a portfolio of forthcoming new drugs is an important predictor of the economic value of a pharmaceutical company. Today, such an assessment should include the estimated effects of the new emerging requirements for reimbursement authorities, payers and the effects of other pharma policy changes, as pay-for-performance based financial agreements.

Objective: This presentation aims to provide a strategic value scan for biotechnology products at the early onset of the development program considering the emerging hurdles for market access. The application of the early phase scan will be based on a hypothetical new innovative drug in breast cancer.

Methods: The outcomes of the strategic value scan are determined by the key decision criteria: efficacy and safety, cost-effectiveness, budget impact and additional criteria may be included depending on the disease area. The input of the strategic scan is based on a sales forecast model, a cost-effectiveness model, and a pricing model, which are interacted and executed simultaneously. The strategic value scan will provide guidance on the position of the new product in the treatment pattern for each scenario and the expected comparators in each position. The cost-effectiveness model and pricing model will provide upper limits for the pricing potential for each scenario and the expected comparators in each position. These outcomes can be linked with a discounted cash flow model to optimize the economic value of the biotechnology company taken into considerations the hurdles for reimbursement and market access. The value scan includes various scenarios (e.g. negative, base case and optimistic) for the expected clinical profile of the new product and the positioning of the new product in the treatment pattern (e.g. 1-line, 2-line, 3-line treatment). It is important to predict the incremental benefit of the new product versus the relevant expected comparators at each possible position. Changes in design of the forthcoming clinical trial or positioning of the new product may increase the economic value of the company. For example, health economic data (effectiveness and resource utilisation) may be collected alongside the forthcoming clinical trial, which may be used as input for the health economic models.

Conclusion: We present a novel approach for the early phase valuation of biotechnology products from a broader perspective by bridging concepts from health economics, market access, pricing and the economics of business economic valuation

Biography:

Tomasz Warzecha has completed his PhD in 2001 from Agricultural University in Kraków, Poland. He has participated at the International Postgraduate Course on Biotechnology in Agriculture, Plants and Microorganisms at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Additionally completed the Pedagogical Studium, majored in Biology and Chemistry at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. He has worked in a project focused to examine natural variation in the recombination pathways in maize at the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics at Cornell University, Ithaca, USA.

Abstract:

One of the most effective ways to generate oat DH lines is to perform a wide crossing with maize. An elevated level of homozygosity possessed by DH lines is a feature desirable for the durability of certain characteristics of new autogamous cultivars. Unlike other cereals, oat can form stable and fertile partial hybrids after pollinating with maize, since oat is able to retain one or more maize chromosomes without a lethal effect. The identification of an oat-maize addition lines could help in the selection of partial hybrids and describing the impact of additional chromosomes on the morphological and agricultural features of oat. The aim of the study was to detect maize DNA introgression into the oat genome using the PCR technique. To establish whether maize genomic DNA was present in oat DH lines, a fragment of maize-specific retro-transposon Grande1 (500 bp) was amplified and was detected after an electrophoresis in an agarose gel. All DH lines with detected fragments of retro-transposon Grande1 were analyzed with genomic in situ hybridization to detect and visualize maize chromosomes. Among the 94 oat DH lines that were obtained, 47 retained the maize chromatin, as inferred from the presence of a fragment of the Grande1 retro-transposon. Fertile lines that produced grains underwent GISH analysis, which revealed from 1 to 4 maize additional chromosomes. Aside from whole maize chromosomes, a banding pattern was also observed in most cases, which presumably co-localized with 25S rDNA sites. Additional hybridization signals were detected in 2-3 chromosome pairs depending on the analyzed line. These signals might correspond to oat’s 5S rDNA sites, although it cannot be eliminated that these sequences originated from the maize genome and were inserted into oat chromosomes.

Biography:

Felipe Gonzalez is an Associate Professor in the Science and Engineering Faculty, Australia and team Leader for Integrated Intelligent Airborne Sensing Laboratory at the Queensland University of Technology, Australia. He holds a BE (Mech) and a PhD from the University of Sydney. His research explores bioinspired optimization, uncertainty based UAV path planning and UAVs for environmental monitoring. He leads the CRC plant biosecurity project evaluating unmanned aerial systems for deployment in plant biosecurity and the CRC PB 2135 optimizing surveillance protocols using unmanned aerial systems and developing pest risk models of buffel grass using unmanned aerial systems and statistical methods. He is a Chartered Professional Engineer and member of Professional Organizations including the RAeS, IEEE and AIAA. 

Abstract:

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS) or drones in agriculture and plant biosecurity is rapidly increasing. Grape phylloxera (Daktulsphaira vitifoliae Fitch) is a serious economically important invasive insect pest of European grapevine (Vitis vinifera L). Although widely present in most grape-growing countries worldwide, its distribution within Australia is limited, mainly due to strict biosecurity measures in place at farm, regional and state levels. As the insect is very small, and primarily lives underground on the roots of the grapevines, it is very hard to detect until the symptoms of infestation appear (slow stunted growth and premature yellowing of leaves), usually after 2-3 years (although in some instances this can be longer). This research, part of a Plant Biosecurity CRC project on “Optimising plant biosecurity surveillance protocols for remote sensing using unmanned aerial systems”, evaluates the use of UAV based high resolution RBG, thermal, multi- and hyper-spectral imagery at detecting symptoms of phylloxera infestation at two different vineyards, multi-variety grapevines, at two separate time periods and under different levels of phylloxera infestation. Early detection of phylloxera within the first year would allow vineyard managers to implement phytosanitary measures to restrict or slow the spread of the pest and reduce future costs and losses in production. Previous research indicated that early infection of grapevines by phylloxera can be detected with hand-held spectro-radiometers and changes in leaf and canopy level reflectance were associated with changes in leaf chemistry. Datasets from each imagery type are compared to existing phylloxera detection practices; visual inspection, ground-based insect traps, soil DNA probes as well as being overlain with EM38 ground conductivity survey data.  The ultimate aim of this study is to move towards a more targeted integrated approach for phylloxera detection and is the first study of its type to focus on a soil borne pest of biosecurity significance.

Biography:

Guoxing Quan received his PhD degree in 1998 from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan. He worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Japan and Canada for several years. Currently, he is a Research Scientist working at Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He has published more than 20 papers and been a reviewer for many scientific journals. He has worked on transgenic silkworm, RNAi and owns three patents. His current research focuses on the identification of genes involved in adapting to unfavorable environmental conditions and how the changing climate affects insect distribution and outbreaks

Abstract:

Small heat shock proteins are a superfamily of molecular chaperones and are characterized by the presence of a conserved α-crystallin domain. They exhibit ATP-independent chaperone-like activity by assisting in the correct folding of nascent and stress-accumulated misfolded protein to prevent irreversible protein aggregation. Unlike HSPs of large molecular weight, the sHSPs display structural and functional diversity among different insect species. Some sHSPs may contribute to stress tolerance, enhancing insect survival in severe environmental conditions. As such, studying SHSPs may lead to a better understanding of how pest insect survives in unfavorable environments and how the changing climate affects their distribution and outbreaks. The spruce budworm, C. fumiferana is a destructive native forest defoliator in North America. In the past few hundred years, periodic outbreaks are known to have occurred across tens of millions of square kilometers of forest. Here, we report the identification of 15 sHSP genes from the spruce budworm transcriptome. Examination of the mRNA expression profiles of the sHSPs revealed that the levels varied according to the developmental stage and tissue as well as whether the insects were reared under normal and stress conditions. Nine sHSP genes were sensitive to heat shock stress. Some, but not all, sHSPs may play a vital role during diapause.

Biography:

M Cristina Diez has completed her PhD in 1993 at Universidad Estadual de Campinas, Brazil. She is a Professor in Chemical Engineering Department and, the Director of Biotechnological Research Center Applied to the Environment (CIBAMA-BIOREN) of La Frontera University. She has published more than 115 papers in reputed journals. She is a member of FONDECYT's technology board. She is serving as an Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition.

Abstract:

Bio-purification system is used to adsorb and degrade pesticide spills during handling of products before its application. The PBS has an organic matrix (biomix) composed of soil, commercial peat and wheat straw (1:1:2). We evaluated the adsorption capacity of different agro-industrial and lignocellulosic residues, as components of the biomix of the BPS, to treat water contaminated with pesticides. Sawdust, barley husk, compost and biochar were used in this process. Each biomix and individual components were characterized, and biomixes were formulated with partial replacement of 50% wheat straw or peat, moistened at 60-70% water holding capacity (WHC) and pre-incubated for 30 days at 20-25 °C. For kinetic studies, biomixes were contaminated with atrazine (ATZ), chlorpyrifos (CHL) and iprodione (IPR) at a concentration of 5 mg/L and to attain ionic strength, 0.01 M CaCl₂ was added to it. Adsorption at 30, 60, 300, 600, 1080 and 1140 min of incubation at 22 ± 1 °C was evaluated. The adsorption isotherms were carried out with different amounts of biomix and concentration of pesticides for 24 hrs. It was observed that the highest adsorption capacity was achieved in biochar based biomixes, independent of the type of pesticide. CHL presents the highest adsorption rate, ATZ presents a constant and linear saturation for other biomezclas not presenting greater difference, and IPR differs its adsorption for each particular biomix. The Freundlich and Langmuir models were used to describe the kinetics of the adsorption process in the biomixes.

Biography:

Anli Geng is currently an Assistant Director of Life Sciences and Chemical Technology of Ngee Ann Polytechnic. She currently holds the President position in BioEnergy Society of Singapore (BESS). She is also the Co-founder and Director of Sunvisiae Biotech Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based industrial biotechnology company. Prior to joining Ngee Ann Polytechnic, she was working at Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering (IESE) as a Research Scientist. She has more than 25 years of R&D experience, working extensively in environmental biotechnology, green energy technology and industrial biotechnology. She has more than 30 journal publications and her work has been presented in many international conferences. Her current research focuses on developing novel microorganisms to produce industrial enzymes, chemicals and fuels, novel nutraceuticals and cosmetics ingredients at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. She obtained Ngee Ann Polytechnic Staff Excellence Award and IChemE Award on Sustainable Technology in 2012.

Abstract:

Talaromyces pinophilus UTA1 and EMM are cellulase hyper-producing mutants that originated from T. pinophilus OPC4-1 through UV irradiation and chemical mutagenesis by NTG and EMS. Full genome sequencing of these two mutants and the parent strain was conducted and 73 genes were identified with either SNPs or InDels. Functions of the 73 genes were identified using NCBI GenBank database. Among the 73 genes, 3 transcription factors were identified. They might be responsible for the enhancement of cellulase activity in mutant strains, UTA1 and EMM. Genes encoding the 3 transcription factors were successfully cloned to further confirm their enhancement in cellulase and hemicellulase production in mutant strains. Further genetic engineering of the mutant strain EMM was conducted to further enhance its enzyme production. A uracil auxotroph strain T. pinophilus EMU was isolated through random mutagenesis. A wild-type pyrF gene encoding orotate phosphoribosyl transferase (OPRTase, EC 2.4.2.10) isolated from T. pinophilus OPC4-1, the parent strain can be used as the selection marker for genetic engineering of strain T. pinophilus EMM. A marker recycle system was developed and was used for the knock-out of creA gene, the gene mediating catabolite repression. A creA gene knock-out strain, A creA 21 was successfully isolated. It demonstrated enhanced cellulase and xylanase production and higher resistance to the increased glucose concentration. The genetic engineering tools were successfully developed for strain T. pinophilus EMM and disruption of creA gene in strain EMM was effective for enhanced enzyme production.

Biography:

Emmanuel Loeb is a graduate from School of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Netherlands and a qualified expert, Veterinary Pathologist with published papers. He has 12 years of experience in Experimental Pathology and is constantly improving his skills through continuous profession development. In his work, he takes part in annual professional meetings such as the ESVP and follows The Society of Toxicologic Pathology recommendations. He established new methods in the laboratory such as “free floating sections” for immunofluorescence staining, and developed translation tools from pathological hallmarks to histological end point. He is also teaching pathology at the Veterinary School of Koret (Hebrew University).

Abstract:

Free floating sections is regarded as a new histological method that can be used for immune fluorescence staining. This method is clearly the best way to go for optimal Ab expression in the tissue. Furthermore, staining of thick sections can later on be used for a confocal microscopical analysis. This presentation covers the technical work pattern of the method starting with the tissue preparation and conservation, threw brain accurate dissection and staining. The method is very suitable for morphometry quantification of histological data, here method of image analysis will be presented and the scientific value will be discussed. Furthermore, examples are presented of projects that had combined the method such as stroke and Parkinson models in lab animals. Finally a discussion will be presented were the advantages of the current method will be pointed compared to the classical immunohistochemistry methods.

Biography:

Anja Kuenz has completed her PhD with the theme “Itaconic acid production based on renewable resources to replace petrochemical acrylic acid” from Thünen-Institute of Agricultural Technology, Braunschweig, Germany. She is a Senior Scientist at the Thünen-Institute of Agricultural Technology and she is working in the fields of biotechnology, immobilisation and the biotechnical conversion of renewable resources. She has more than 35 papers and conference contributions in those fields.

Abstract:

Biopolymers from D- and L-lactic acid represent an alternative to petrochemical plastics, e.g., in the packaging and food industry, and can be produced from renewable resources. In the last 20 years L-lactic acid gained importance as starting material for the poly L-lactic acid (PLLA). This plastic is a promising material, but the softening point is too low for a variety of applications. Whereas, the melting point of the stereocomplex of PLLA and poly D-lactic acid (PDLA) is about 50 °C higher than that of single polymers. In contrast to L-lactic acid, there is no large-scale process for the biotechnological production of D-lactic acid. Thus, the development of an effective biotechnological production process of enantiomerically pure D-lactic acid is required. Therefore, two strains from the genus Sporolactobacillus were characterized. In the majority of biotechnological processes yeast extract is used as a complex nitrogen source which is expensive and influences the cultivation in an undefined way. To replace yeast extract, 61 different nutrient sources were fully analyzed for its constituents. The analytical data in combination with cultivation experiments as well as successfully tested immobilized cells were used in bioreactor scale to achieve the aim of converting inexpensive raw materials. Rapeseed meals were used as replacement of yeast extract and thin juice from sugar beet production as substrate. Successfully 153 g/L D-lactic acid with a yield of 91% and maximum productivity of 4.67 g/(Lh) were produced biotechnologically with an enantiomeric excess of ≥99% ee within 48 hours using inexpensive raw materials.

Biography:

Felipe Gonzalez is an Associate Professor in the Science and Engineering Faculty, Australia and Team Leader for Integrated Intelligent Airborne Sensing Laboratory at Queensland University of Technology, Australia. He holds a BE (Mech) and a PhD degree from the University of Sydney. His research explores bioinspired optimization, uncertainty based UAV path planning and UAVs for environmental monitoring. He leads the CRC plant biosecurity project evaluating unmanned aerial systems for deployment in plant biosecurity and the CRC PB 2135 optimizing surveillance protocols using unmanned aerial systems and developing pest risk models of buffel grass using unmanned aerial systems and statistical methods. He is a Chartered Professional Engineer and member of professional organizations including the RAeS, IEEE and AIAA.

Abstract:

Invasive weeds are responsible for irreversible environmental damage, millions of dollars in crop losses and management costs every year. In order to implement optimal site-specific treatments and reduce control costs, new methods to accurately monitor and assess weed and pest damage need to be investigated. In this paper, we explore the combination of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), remote sensing, sensors and machine learning techniques as a promising technology to address this challenge. The deployment of UAVs as a sensor platform is a rapidly growing field of study for biosecurity and precision agriculture applications. In this experiment, we use grass as a case study. A data collection campaign was performed at two different locations covered by Buffel grass and other vegetation (eg. Green Panic, Spinifex scarab). The first site is at cattle farm Chinchilla, QLD, Australia. The Second locations are two sites at Cape Range National Park, WA. In this study, we describe the UAV platform deployed to collect high-resolution RGB and hyperspectral imagery as well as the image processing pipeline implemented to create an ortho-image and machine which results in two or five classifications of the vegetation abundance maps. The aim of the approach is to simplify the image analysis step by minimizing user input requirements and avoiding the manual data labelling necessary in supervised learning approaches. The methodology presented in this paper represents a venue for further research towards automated invasive grass assessments and biosecurity surveillance.

Biography:

Andreia de Araújo Morandim Giannetti has completed her PhD and Postdoctoral studies from Paulista State University (UNESP). She is a teacher at FEI University Center. She has published more than 18 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as a reviewer in several renowned journals.

Abstract:

Many researches have been aiming at obtaining new possible vitreous humor substitutes. Therefore, we performed studies related to obtain hydrogels enzymatically cross-linked with ferulic acid. The hydrogels were obtained by varying PVA mass, enzyme concentration and the mass of ferulic acid, to obtain the best condition to have a material with similar characteristics in terms of density (1.0053 to 1.0089 g/mL), kinematic viscosity (greater than 4mm²/cm) and refractive index (between 1.3345 and 1.3348). The data was analysed using the Statistica 12.0 software, and it was possible to determine the best condition for obtaining the material: mPVA=12.05% (m/m), laccase concentration=836 (μg/mL) and ferulic acid concentration=1.95 (mM). Hydrogels were obtained under the best condition and on analyzing by DSC, confirmed the presence of crosslinks in the hydrogels and reinforced the hypothesis of the presence of crosslinks due to the action of the Laccase enzyme. This was justified due to a reduction of the glass transition temperature (69.99 and 74.49 ºC), melt temperature (216.48 and 220.26 ºC) and crystallization temperature (181.82 and 184.62 ºC), as well as the degree of crystallinity (29.18 and 29.74 %) for the hydrogel obtained with and without PVA, ferulic acid and laccase, respectively. In this case, it is possibly attributed to the greater intensity of the hydrogen bonds between the PVA chains, which makes it difficult to move and pack the chains into crystallites.

Biography:

John B Carrigan has completed his PhD in 2005 at University College Dublin and carried out Postdoctoral studies both in Dublin and in Copenhagen. He has been involved with several start-ups, most recently bio-based advanced materials company and Cellulac Ltd. He is the CSO in SOSV responsible for scientific due diligence, recruitment, product development analysis in addition to other work. He has published several papers in protein engineering, enzymology, metabolomics and cellulosic biofuels.

Abstract:

SOSV is a cork-based global bio accelerator initiative, which is dedicated to funding and building start-ups for aiding humanity and having founded the world’s first life sciences accelerator in Cork in 2014. SOSV now operates two accelerator programs, IndieBio based in San Francisco and RebelBio again based in Cork. These accelerators are responsible for establishing many synthetic biology start-ups around the world including Perfect Day Foods, Memphis Meats, Microsynbiotix and the German based Saphium Biotech. We provide the mechanism by which young scientists, entrepreneurs and tinkerers can shape their own destiny and make something that matters. RebelBio provides seed funding and mentorship to drive the transition of science to a business in only four months, before launching its graduate companies into the world of biotechnology to make their fortune, buffered by the company’s many alumni, partners and partner investors.

Biography:

Xinyue Zhao completed her Master’s degree in Environmental Microbiology at Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) in July 2014. Then, she continued her PhD research, majored in Environmental Science and Engineering as a visiting scholar-PhD student from September 2016 at Delft University of Technology. She has published six papers during her PhD study.

Abstract:

Isolation of atrazine-degrading microorganisms with specific characteristics is significant for the bio-augmentation to deal with atrazine wastewater. However, lacking the investigation of specific characteristics will hinder the further understanding of bio-augmentation. A strain Arthrobacter sp. ZXY-2 with strong capacity of atrazine degradation has been isolated and suggested a potential candidate for bio-augmentation. In this study, we identified the factors that might be relevant to the biodegradation capacity of strain ZXY-2, and reveal how these factors might contribute to the future understanding of bio-augmentation. The growth pattern of strain ZXY-2 followed Haldane-Andrew model with the inhibition constant (Ki) of 52.76 mg/L obtained, indicating that the strain ZXY-2 offered a possibility of bio-augmenting wastewater with the concentration of atrazine below 52.76 mg/L. The Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) results showed a positive correlation between atrazine degradation and the expression levels of functional genes (trzN, atzB and atzC), which provided a basis data that could help to distinguish the role strain ZXY-2 played in the bio-augmentation. Moreover, the multiple copies of atzB gene, found via genome sequencing, might account for the highest expression levels among three genes. Meanwhile, the multiple copies of atzB gene might also provide a compensation mechanism to ensure the smooth work of strain ZXY-2 in future bio-augmentation.

Biography:

David Bolonio is a third year PhD student. He graduated in Mining Engineering at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain) and holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Research and Modeling and Risk Assessment from the same university. He has performed research at the School of Chemistry of the University of Graz (Austria) and the Joint Bioenergy Institute of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (USA). His results have been presented in seven peer-reviewed conferences and four research papers published in international journals.

Abstract:

Advanced biodiesel is an alternative fuel prepared from renewable non-food sources of biomass. It is non-toxic, non-flammable, biodegradable, and compatible with current vehicles and infrastructure. Most efforts to develop advanced biodiesel have focused on the metabolic engineering of microorganisms able to efficiently convert lignocellulosic and waste biomass into fuel molecules. The enterobacterial, Escherichia coli is well suited for this purpose owing to its exceptional amenability for genetic manipulation. Indeed, it has already been used for commercial synthesis of a wide array of chemicals. This work addresses two key steps for biodiesel production in E. coli: (i) increasing the total yields of free fatty acids (FAA) and (ii) improving FAA length and unsaturation from an applied standpoint. These properties must be carefully optimized in order to obtain optimum engine performance once FAAs are converted into esters or biodiesel. To this end, E. coli cells were genetically modified to express in an inducible fashion, a leaderless version of the enzyme thioesterase I (tesA), which cleaves the fatty acyl-carrier protein and deregulates the tight product inhibition typical of fatty acid synthesis, the transcription factor FadR, which down-regulates several genes in the fatty acid degradation pathway and increases fatty acid unsaturation; and a plant acyl-ACP thioesterase (FatA) showing higher hydrolytic activity towards oleoyl-ACP than the endogenous bacterial enzyme. As a result of the above manipulations we report here a 6-fold increase in FAA yield and a significant improvement of one of the most important properties of biodiesel: the cold flow performance.

Biography:

Sabrina Schulze completed her PhD in Medical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen (UK) followed by a Postdoctoral Associate position at the University of Pittsburgh (USA). In 2017, she joined the group for synthetic biosystems at Potsdam University (Germany).

Abstract:

Design and establishment of new biosynthetic pathways in yeast are important goals in synthetic biology. Therefore, promoters with predictable and reproducible protein expression levels independent of the protein of interest are needed. Data presented here show a library of constitutive promoters expressing two different fluorescent proteins in diverse conditions. We compare expression levels for episomal and chromosomal location, different growth media and different growth times. GFP and RFP are quantified via fluorescence spectroscopy and flow cytometry.

Biography:

Gita Naseri completed her Master’s degree in Plant Biotechnology from University of Guilan (Iran) followed by several years as Technical Manager in laboratories of the Rice Research Center (Rasht, Iran) and the laboratory of Plant Protection Clinic (Fouman, Iran). In 2013, she joined the group for synthetic biosystems at Potsdam University (Germany) as a PhD student. She has published first data of her thesis in ACS Syn Biol in 2017.

Abstract:

Central goal for synthetic biology is the regulated expression of genes for establishing complex protein expression systems. Artificial transcription factors are one possibility for regulation of gene expression in an orthogonal control system. Presented data show the use of plant-derived artificial transcription factors to establish orthogonal regulators in yeast. The library consists of more than 100 members build from different DNA-binding sites, activation domains and corresponding synthetic promoters. Functionality of the library members is shown by GFP expression and its flow cytometric quantitation.

Biography:

Anja Taubert completed her Master of Science Degree in Biology with the focus on Biotechnology in 2015 at the Leipzig University. Within her Bachelor’s and Master’s thesis she attended, environmental biotechnological questions in miniaturized wetlands, called planted fixed bed reactors, at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ Leipzig) and contributed to two publications. She is currently a PhD student in the Department of Plant Physiology at the Leipzig University with the task to establish a self-contained system of autotrophic carbon allocation and heterotrophic production of biogas.

Abstract:

The decreasing reserves of fossil-based energy sources and the climate change enforce the usage of renewable energy and biofuels. Current microalgae-based approaches face the problem that the biological process of biomass production and the subsequent harvest and refinement of biomass strongly decrease the energetic and economic balance. A new algae-based concept aims to avoid biomass production; instead, an intermediate of algal metabolism (glycolate) is used for the methane production by anaerobic fermentation. In this way, metabolic costs and energetic costs for biomass harvest and refinement could be drastically reduced/avoided. Previous studies showed the ability of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to produce and actively excrete glycolate under photo-respiratory conditions. It was proven that a microbial consortium can be adapted to use glycolate as main carbon source for biogas production. The aim of the present study is to evaluate optimum conditions for glycolate production in a photo-bioreactor under simulated natural conditions and to analyse the quantum efficiency of glycolate production in comparison to biomass formation. It is further aimed to couple the photo-bioreactor and the anaerobic fermenter in a pilot installation to prove the technical feasibility of this approach. From the obtained results, it can be concluded that a continuous production of glycolate is possible over a period of at least several days. The achieved glycolate concentration in the culture suspension is high enough to feed microbial fermentation. It was shown that the daily glycolate production (59 mgL^-1d^-1) is equivalent to that of algal biomass (62 mgL^-1d^-1). 

Biography:

Soeren Schmechta is a PhD student at the University of Leipzig, Institute for Biology at the working group of Prof. Wilhelm. He completed his MSc in Biology with focus on Biotechnology at University of Leipzig. During his Bachelor’s thesis, he was working on biotechnological application of algae. His master’s thesis was about the topic Environmental and Biotechnology. Now, he is doing research in the field of renewable bioenergy from algae with special focus on Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Abstract:

Conventional photobioreactors cultivate algae in suspension, hence to maintain optimum cultivation conditions, mixing is essential for delivery of inorganic carbon, nutrient and light. Since bioreactors have highest production rate at high biomass load per volume, cells are exposed to flickering light which is favorable for the photon usage efficiency. Energetic costs for mixing, harvesting and biomass refinement are too high for efficient energy conversion from light to biofuels. As an alternative approach, biofilm reactor had been discussed where the cells are fixed and cells on the surface are exposed permanently to full sunlight whereas cells in lower layers suffer from light limitation. This is due to the steep light gradient, a stack of 10 cells is enough to absorb 90% of the light intensity. Therefore, to find a solution to prevent photoinhibition at the surface and light limitation in deeper layers is necessary. Here, we want to mimic the geometry of higher plant leaves where the inner surfaces have different refractive indices, thereby light is distributed more homogenous inside the leaf. For technical biofilms, single cells can be cultivated in porous glass. The incoming light is then distributed due to the different refractive indices inside the glass. For this purpose, cells must be attached to a glass surface in defined distances and positions by introducing a glass anchor protein fixed by a native cell wall protein and the anchor interacts with the glass environment. This recombinant protein is combined with epitopes for further investigation (proof of success) and introduced by electroporation.

Biography:

Andreia de Araújo Morandim Giannetti has completed her PhD at Paulista State University and Postdoctoral studies from the same. She is a teacher at the FEI University Center. She has published more than 18 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as a reviewer in several renowned journals. 

Abstract:

During the development of alkyd resin, parameters as acid value, the index saponification and medium molar mass of soybean oil were first determined. After that, the best solvent to be used during the alcoholysis step was established by comparing and determining the enzymatic activity of Lipozyme 435 enzyme in the presence of hexane, water, tetrahydrofuran and tert-butanol. Then, alcoholysis was performed using different concentrations of enzyme, oil/glycerin relations and temperature, to determine the best reaction conditions for obtaining the greatest concentration of monoacylglycerides and diacylglycerides. All samples were analyzed using CLAE and the results were evaluated in Statistica 12.0 program. After analysis of data, it was obtained as optimal reaction conditions a 9.36% concentration of enzyme, a weight ratio glycerol/oil of 1:3.5 (w/w) and a temperature of 56.73 °C. During the final step of obtaining resin, solvents were added (xylene and mineral spirit) and phthalic anhydride in specified amounts to give the resin at the end of the process viscosity characteristics and acid index as specified, without differences in the application of the usual resin produced by chemical catalyst. It was studied further the recovery of the enzyme, their reuse in the process and, consequently, cost savings, besides reducing solid waste generation, verifying that it showed significant amounts of enzyme activity after use and recovery. 

Biography:

Andreia de Araújo Morandim Giannetti has completed her PhD at Paulista State University and Postdoctoral studies from the same. She is a teacher at the FEI University Center. She has published more than 18 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as a reviewer in several renowned journals.

Abstract:

The coconut fiber is a lignocellulosic waste found in abundance; however, it is normally not reused even though, it is an important cellulose source. In this context, within the possible applications of cellulose that comes from this waste are: bioethanol, composites and biodegradable plastics, such as cellulose acetate. Therefore, knowing the importance of the application of this material in processes, the objective of the work is to purify the coir fiber and cellulose fiber with the aim of producing cellulose acetate. The process was initiated with the fiber’s milling, followed by pulping and whitening that together resulted in a delignification of 66.37%. This also accomplished the synthesis and characterization of the ionic liquid n-butylammonium acetate that was proved to be the right one by nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. With the ionic liquid, the treatment of coir fiber followed by whitening was fulfilled resulting in a delignification of 0.82 and 6.10% respectively. After this, the esterification was accomplished generating cellulose triacetate that was characterized by Infrared Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Degree of Substitution. These methods gave related results, because the surface crystallinity and characteristic bands are similar in the triacetates produced by all the three materials. This means that when producing cellulose triacetate, the delignification treatment is not needed.

Biography:

Yuzhu Luo is Professor of Gansu Agricultural University of China. He is the Director of Gansu Key Laboratory of Herbivorous Animal Biotechnology and Assistant President of Gansu Agricultural University. His research area includes four directions which are grazing animal genomes (functional gene selection) and molecular breeding, reproduction control, traceability and quality of meat and milk products, and biological reactor. He has published more than 190 papers.

Abstract:

Wool keratin-associated proteins are a structural component of the wool fiber, which plays a role in defining the properties of the wool fiber. The keratin-associated protein family genes encode these proteins. This research is taken 150 sheep (Merino×Southdown lambs and New Zealand (NZ) Romney lambs) and 80 goats (Chaida Black goats, the Ziwuling Black goat, the Hexi Cashmere goat and the Inner Mongolia cashmere goat) as the research object, PCR-SSCP and sequencing method were used for detecting SNPs in the ovine and caprine keratin-associated proteins 22-2 gene. No mutations in ovine keratin-associated proteins 22-2 gene were detected in the Merino×Southdown-cross lambs and New Zealand Romney lambs. There were three SNPs and three alleles were detected in caprine keratin-associated proteins 22-2 gene on four goat breeds, one of SNPs was a non-synonymous mutation, which resulting in a mutation between arginine and glycine. C has a 6-bp insert, and an addition of 2 amino acids (arginine and cysteine). AA and AB are dominant genotypes. A is the dominant allele in these goat breeds. The significant difference on gene variation in keratin-associated proteins 22-2 gene may result from the different selection on the gene between the two species.

Biography:

M Cristina Diez, has completed her PhD in 1993 from Universidad Estadual de Campinas, Brazil. She is a professor at Chemical Engineering Department and the Director of Biotechnological Research Center Applied to the Environment (CIBAMA-BIOREN) of La Frontera University. She has published more than 115 papers in reputed journals (ISI/WoS). She is a member of FONDECYT's technology board. She is serving as an Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition.

Abstract:

Mining and extraction of specific metals is associated with pollution problems in the environment. An example of this is acid mine drainage (AMD). This corresponds to runoff of sulfate acid solutions, often with a significant content of dissolved metals. The treatment of water contaminated with these metals is significant for the protection of water resources and the environment in general. Therefore, in this work we evaluated the removal of Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn from a synthetic AMD through adsorption studies in continuous system using an organic bio-mixture. For the continuous system, glass columns (32 cm x 5 cm) packed with the bio-mixture (ρ 0.35 gmL^-1) was used for breakthrough curves determination. The synthetic effluent was prepared mixing: 102 mgL^-1 of Cu, 25 mgL^-1 of Mn, 142 mgL^-1 of Zn and 456 mgL^-1 of Fe. Columns were fed at different hydraulic loads (0.5, 1 and 1.5 mL per min). Lixiviates were collected and analyzed until the column saturation and data were analyzed and adjusted by the Thomas model. The adsorption in continuous system indicated that the bio-mixture has a high adsorption capacity for the metals and the parameters obtained through the Thomas model indicate that as the flow increases, the Thomas rate constant (K_t) is higher. In addition, the amount adsorbed (q₀) decreases as the flow increases. However, the amounts removed from the Cu, Zn, Mn and Fe metals were 86, 92, 90 and 95%. Thus, this bio-mixture could be used as a sustainable sorbent for the more expensive materials in mining effluent treatment due to its adsorptive properties, high availability, large quantities and low cost. 

Biography:

Ilona JonuškienÄ— has completed her PhD from Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania. She had training at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Copenhagen University. She is an Associate Professor and Chief of Bachelor and Master study programmes of Industrial Biotechnology at Kaunas University of Technology, Faculty of Chemical technology. She has published more than 15 articles in reputed journals

Abstract:

In recent years, microorganism-based biopolymers have shown promise as nontoxic, biodegradable and biocompatible nanomaterials. Polysaccharide-based biopolymers have emerged as the most promising drug carriers for achieving prolonged circulation time, reducing drug toxicity and protecting them from enzymatic degradation, enhancing antitumor capacity and controlling drug release. The main objective of the present study is to investigate the different media composition for Xanthomonas campestris and Azotobacter vinelandii growth and to select optimal conditions for purification of xanthan gum and alginate. Optimal conditions for xanthan gum synthesis using different carbon sources, nitrogen sources were examined. Xanthan gum production is influenced by several factors that include medium composition, cultivation conditions (temperature, pH, stirrer speed), fermentation time, and post-fermentation conditions (heat treatment, recovery, purification). The present work revealed that the growth medium and organic solvents are the main factors impacting the xanthan gum production. The properties that enable the application of xanthan gum in pharmaceutical industries are emulsifying, thickening, stabilizing, film forming and gelling nature. Alginates are group of polysaccharides occurring as structural components or as capsular materials in the cell wall of soil bacteria. Azotobacter vinelandii was used to produce alginate. Exopolysaccharide production by Azotobacter in media supplemented with carbohydrates and some phenolic compounds was investigated. Bacterial polysaccharides are produced on industrial scales and used as raw materials for food processing and medical and industrial preparations. Alginate is a biomaterial that has found numerous applications in biomedical science and engineering due to its favorable properties, including biocompatibility and ease of gelation.

Biography:

Ronald Skewes is a Biochemical Engineer and Bachelor in Engineering Sciences from Pontifical University Catholic of Valparaiso, Chile. He is co-founder of in-Biotech Spa, a small company dedicated to the research and development of biotechnological projects. This company comes from project VIU 15E0095 Production of the antioxidant ascorbyl palmitate through an innovative process of synthesis and purification.

Abstract:

Ascorbyl palmitate, an antioxidant derived from ascorbic acid, represents a feasible alternative to petrochemical compounds such as BHT, BHA and TBHQ, which are used in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The process developed in this proposal considers an enzymatic synthesis of this compound using commercial lipase novozyme 435 in nonconventional medium at 60°C, achieving 65% conversion. The main advantage is the absence of secondary compounds that occur when this antioxidant is synthesized chemically, making the purification associated with the antioxidant to be simpler and cheaper, unlike the process currently used in the industry, which corresponds to a chemical synthesis. The purification process contemplated in this proposal comprises five-unit operations, considering a stage of recovery of the solvents used, to be a more environmental friendly process. The ascorbyl palmitate obtained from this process meets the quality standards necessary for its use at industrial level, since it is contemplated the use of solvents allowed by FAO in the manufacture of food additives, in addition to achieving a high purity, over 99%. Therefore, the process developed to obtain this antioxidant represents a highly competitive alternative at the industrial level.

Biography:

Ksenija Taški-Ajduković is employed in the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Novi Sad, Serbia, as the Scientific Advisor. Her research is focused on the application of protein and DNA markers in breeding of field crops, plant genetic resources and plant protection. She has completed her PhD in 2005 at the Faculty of Biology, Belgrade. She is co-author of over 200 publications in international and national journals, conferences and book chapters. She is a member of the Variety Committee of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) and Editorial Boards of several peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Abstract:

Genetic diversity studies are important for the selection of parents with a greater combination capacity which, when crossed, increase the chances of obtaining superior genotypes. Thus, genetic diversity of 50 individual samples of five alfalfa populations selected from the breeding program of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Novi Sad, Serbia was characterized based on 27 polymorphic SSR loci. A total of 224 alleles were obtained with mean value of 8.77 alleles per population. Mean effective number of alleles ranged from 2.45 for population Ghareh to 2.66 for population Zuzana, while the mean observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.65 for population Ghareh to 0.73 for population Zuzana. Low levels of genetic differentiation among the populations of alfalfa were detected by Nei’s Gst = 0.079. It is further confirmed by PCoA and Bayesian model-based clustering approach that could not reveal a clear separation between populations, although individuals from population RSI 20 were clearly differentiated to other populations. Analysis of molecular variance showed that 89.0% of the total genetic variability was attributed to variation among individuals within tested alfalfa populations, and only 11% was found between populations. The obtained results provided a better understanding of individual identities and relationships of alfalfa germplasm, and it could contribute to their more efficient utilization in breeding.

Biography:

Hyun Young Song is doing Master Degree at Kyungpook National University, South Korea.

Abstract:

Diverse flower colors exist in different gerbera cultivars. To elucidate the different coloration patterns in two commercial cultivars ‘Nathasha and Rosalin’, expressions of anthocyanin biosynthesis genes and transcription factors associated with varying anthocyanin contents during different developmental stages (S1 to S5) were investigated. In addition, role of different temperatures in anthocyanin biosynthesis were also investigated by detecting anthocyanin content and gene expression levels. Accumulation of anthocyanin in both cultivars started at S1 and reached a maximum at both of S2 and S3 or only S3 depending on the cultivars. Enhancement of anthocyanin in cv. Nathasha was associated with up-regulation of ANS and MYB10, while CHS1 and MYC were likely to be responsible for this in cv. Rosalin. Low temperature (6 ºC) could enhance the anthocyanin contents than 22 ºC by stronger up-regulation of CHS1 and MYB10 in cv. Nathasha or of CHS1 and MYC in cv. Rosalin, regardless of the flower stages. However, the difference of contents between the two cultivars was found to be influenced by expression levels of all biosynthesis genes and TFs, regardless of flower stages and temperature conditions. Hence, it was suggested that the expression patterns of biosynthesis genes and TFs are involved in the differential regulation mechanisms of anthocyanin biosynthesis and coloration pattern between the two cultivars, although further functional studies of the key genes still need to be explored.

Biography:

Aung Htay Naing has completed his PhD from Kyungpook National University, South Korea. He has published more than 30 papers in SCI/E in journals and has been serving as an Editorial Board Member of some plant science journals.

Abstract:

Rosea1 (Ros1) and Del (Delila) co-expression controls anthocyanin accumulation in snapdragon flowers, while their overexpression in tomato strongly induces anthocyanin accumulation. However, little data exist on how Del expression alone influences anthocyanin accumulation. In tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum ‘Xanthi’), Del expression enhanced leaf and flower anthocyanin production through regulating NtCHS, NtCHI, NtF3H, NtDFR, and NtANS transcript levels. Transgenic lines displayed different anthocyanin colors (e.g., pale red: T₀-P, red: T₀-R, and strong red: T₀-S), resulting from varying levels of biosynthetic gene transcripts. Under salt stress, the T₂ generation had higher total polyphenol content, radical (DPPH, ABTS) scavenging activities, antioxidant-related gene expression, as well as overall greater salt and drought tolerance than wild type. We propose that Del overexpression elevates transcript levels of anthocyanin biosynthetic and antioxidant-related genes, leading to enhanced anthocyanin production and antioxidant activity. The resultant increase of anthocyanin and antioxidant activity improves abiotic stress tolerance.

Biography:

Meziani Reda has obtained his Engineer Degree from the National School of Agriculture of Meknes in 2009. He is currently a PhD student in University Moulay Ismail, Faculty of Science and Technology of Errachidia. His research is focused on the micro-propagation of date palm. He has published many papers in reputed journals and participated to many international congresses in numerous countries.

Abstract:

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is an agronomically, ecologically and socio-economically important fruit tree in many countries. This species is mainly propagated by somatic embryogenesis. However, this technique may result in somaclonal variation within regenerants. Recently, date palm micro-propagation through organogenesis has gained much interest since it allows to produce true-to-type plantlets. Organogenesis is the technique by which adventitious buds are formed directly on the explant. It comprises numerous steps: initiation of vegetative buds, bud multiplication, shoot elongation and rooting then plantlet acclimatization. In previous works, we evaluated the effects of numerous factors on bud initiation and multiplication. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of different plant growth regulator combinations and carbon sources on shoot elongation, rooting and plantlet acclimatization of date palm cv. Mejhoul. The results of this study showed that the combination of 1 mg/L NAA, 1 mg/L BAP and 1 mg/L KIN resulted in the highest leaf length with an average of 19.2 cm. The use of KIN alone in the culture medium resulted in leaf lengths ranging from 12 to 14 cm. Root formation was strongly stimulated using NAA alone or in combination with IBA. Regarding leaf greening, the PGR-free medium gave the highest chlorophyll content with 6.78 CCI. After one month in the glasshouse, the plantlet survival rate was higher within those that have been grown on PGR-free medium. On the other hand, the carbon source (sucrose, mannitol, sorbitol or commercial granular sugar) showed a significant effect on shoot development and plantlet acclimatization. The use of sucrose gave the best results in vitro and ex vitro, with an average shoot length of 13.6 cm, a high chlorophyll content (10.04 CCI), and a high survival rate after acclimatization 80%. The use of commercial sugar as carbon source has also given satisfactory results, with a survival rate of 70 %.

Biography:

Iveta Megrelishvili has completed her PhD from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. She is the main Research Scientist of Georgian Technical University, Biotechnology Center and Head of Virology Lab, Scientific-Research Center of Agriculture. He has published more than 12 papers in reputed journals and has a vast experience in Plant Biotechnology sphere.

Abstract:

Two potato varieties: “Sebago” and “Carola” were tested for in vitro tuberization response under three different MS mediums: 1. MS+60g/l sucrose (6% MS medium) 2. MS+80g/l Sucrose (8%MS medium) 3. MS+100g/l Sucrose (10% MS medium). As a control, basal MS medium (3% MS medium) was used. The objective was to determine optimum concentration of sucrose for in vitro tuberization. Three parameters were observed in response to treatment, number, weight and diameter of microtuber. In both cultivars, among the three concentrations of sucrose, Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 100g/L sucrose showed a better value of microtuber number, diameter and weight than the other concentrations. Morphological characterization of micro tubers of two potato cultivars on 10% MS medium was a bit different. Accordingly, this medium gave an average value of microtuber number (3.98±0.04), microtuber diameter (9.9±0.02mm), and weight (0.09±0.003g) of microtuberian variety Sebago after 54.8±0.87 days of in vitro cultivation. Average microtuber number (2.8±0.02), microtuber diameter (9.4±0.03mm) and weight (0.087±0.002g) was showed by cultivars Carola. Microtubers were not developed on 6% and 8% MS medium (only embryonal microtubers). Finally, 10% MS medium was selected as an optimal MS medium for in vitro micro tuberization in two cultivars of potato (Sebago, Carola) after 54.8±0.87 days of in vitro cultivation

Biography:

Abstract: