Core Facilities in de kijker | Spotlight on the Core Facilities - part 3

Context

A Core Facility often brings together highly specialised and indispensable scientific expertise, services and research infrastructure in a real or virtual entity (whether or not across disciplines and/or user groups). A Core Facility promotes cooperation between researchers, both internally and externally, and elaborates a strategy for the renewal and/or expansion of the research infrastructure within the Core Facility. Its use is open to all researchers within the Core Facility and/or other users within and outside Ghent University.

Since 2021 Ghent University supports a central recognition procedure and provides co-funding from the Special Research Fund.

Overview of Core Facilities formally recognised at Ghent University

HTS for SynBio

The Centre for Synthetic Biology (CSB) was established in 2014 at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering. Synthetic biology can be defined as the artificial (re)design of biological components and/or systems for practical applications. The technology is routed in the field of genetic engineering but draws inspiration from a variety of disciplines, such as biotechnology, chemistry, and even computer sciences. In that light, three research groups of Ghent University have decided to join forces and establish the multidisciplinary Centre for Synthetic Biology. Their common goal is to develop new processes for the production of value-added compounds, with emphasis on tailor-made carbohydrates, flavonoids and glycolipids.

At the Centre for Synthetic Biology, state-of-the-art infrastructure is available for the processing of (engineered) microbes and enzymes, and the identification of (new) products in a high-throughput fashion. Together with a range of complementary tools, this infrastructure is now organized in one of UGent's new Core Facilities, named “HTS for SynBio” (short for: High-Throughput Screening for Synthetic Biology: from gene to product), and made available to other researchers. The “HTS for SynBio” core facility has been recognized as a Ghent University Core Facility since 1 July 2022.

All instrumentation relevant for increasing throughput (automation), standardization, reproducibility, and extensive miniaturization in the SynBio field are grouped together in this CF. This brings together a diverse set of instruments and infrastructure that are both compatible with and complementary to each other. This CF is a complete biofoundry that includes all steps in the SynBio chain, starting from the DNA manipulations all the way to the analysis of the final products. A detailed overview of the include instrumentation and infrastructure is listed below.

The dedicated equipment in the Core Facility includes: 

• a custom-made robotic platform (for DNA manipulations, pipetting, colony picking, screening, incubation, etc.) that was obtained through Hercules-financing,
• different coupled HPLC systems with automated injection
  • HPLC-RI/UV/ELSD system
  • UPLC-MS/PDA system
  • UPLC-ELSD system 
  • HPAEC-PAD systems (4 channels) 
• complementary tools, such as multiwell readers, microfluidic devices, etc.

CSB and the “HTS for SynBio” Core Facility also offers a number of services:

• High-throughput molecular cloning & screening – flexible, automated and high-throughput cloning and library screening platform for, e.g., enzyme or strain mutants and synthetic biology tools
• Carbohydrate analysis – with chromatographic (HPAEC-PAD) and/or spectroscopic techniques
• Carbohydrate production – custom synthesis of special sugars and derivatives at gram scale 
• Enzyme production – cloning and recombinant expression in E. coli or Pichia pastoris
• Biocatalytic application – implementation of (commercial) enzymes in chemical synthesis
• Microbial fermentation – up to 30L with complete process control and data acquisition
• Biosurfactant production – various (modified) glycolipids with Starmorella bombicola

 

For further information requests, reservations or to see how we can assist in your projects, you contact us by email via: HTSforSynBio@UGent.be 

Sept. 7, 2023, 9:29 a.m.