Industrial biotechnology
Industrial biotechnology uses enzymes and micro-organisms to make bio-based products in sectors such as chemicals, food and feed, detergents, paper and pulp, textiles and bioenergy. The University of Edinburgh is providing businesses with the expertise to deliver the environmental benefits, resource conservation, innovative new products, enhanced performance and reduced costs promised by industrial biotechnology.
Together we are:
- conducting cutting-edge research in industrial biotechnology
- creating novel technologies that can accelerate business growth
- applying these technologies commercially in partnership with industry
- enhancing the growth of existing companies and powering the creation of new spinouts
- delivering advanced multidisciplinary training
Key areas of expertise
Novel Feedstocks
Alternative feedstocks for high value chemical manufacture, e.g. lignocellulose.
- Optimised biosynthesis of high-value plant natural products, e.g. using plant stem cells
- Identification of plant cell wall polymers and novel cell wall enzymes.
- Novel viral vectors and plant systems for production of proteins and biologics.
Optimised chassis organisms
Optimised chassis organisms (e.g. CHO, yeast)
- Safe harbour landing pads for stable plasmid insertion.
- Yeast Fab library of synthetic yeast parts.
- Robust methods for automated assembly of large DNA molecules.
- Computational modelling tools to design biological pathways and circuits
Biocatalysis
- Mining extremophiles for novel enzymes.
- Molecular evolution and selection to improve enzyme function.
Downstream processing
- Biosensors for in-situ monitoring of downstream processing
- Single-cell analysis of cellular behaviour during processing.
- Novel technologies to optimise product separation.
Sustainability
- Bioremediation using biotechnology
- Reclamation of rare metals using engineered bacteria
Facilities at the University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh is host to an extensive range of facilities, equipment and expertise which can be accessed by companies and organisations for in-house projects. Find out how to access the facilities, equipment and expertise at the University, or to discuss a particular project in greater depth.
Explore all facilities in the College of Science and Engineering
Facilities available at the University of Edinburgh for Industrial biotechnology
Centre Optical Instrumentation Laboratory (COIL)
- Confocal and multi-photon imaging
- High accuracy motorised stage for multipoint imaging and tile scanning • Environmental chamber ambient to 45°C
- Perfect focus for long-term timelapse
- Spectrometer detection for all visible wavelengths
- High sensitivity GaAsP detectors
Edinburgh Plant Growth Facility
- Tissue culture facilities for the maintenance and propagation of plant tissue culture materials
- 3 temperature controlled rooms with 45m2
- 2 walk-in growth rooms with a total of 80m2 of shelving. One room is running at long day conditions (16 hours light) and one in short day conditions (9 hours light)
- 5 Snijders Economic Deluxe and 2 Snijders MicroClima growth cabinets
- The Grodome is used for growing transgenic host plants and two smaller chambers for research into plant pathogens
- Glasshouses and outdoor plots
Edinburgh Protein Production Facility (EPPF)
- Production and purification of proteins
- Biophysical analysis of proteins and ligands
- Biophysical characterisation
- Pre-clinical drug discovery
Flow Cytometry Core
- Multi-parameter measurement of biological particles
- Cell counting
- Cell sorting
- Detection of biomarkers
- Protein engineering
Synthsys (Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology)
- Edinburgh Genome Foundry
- Kinetic Parameter Facility
- Laser Enabled Analysis and Processing (LEAP)
- Single cell analysis and microscopy
- Plant phenomics
- Data management and models
- Chemical translational biology
Computational Modelling & Fermentation
- Ultra-fast chemical physiscs
- Quantum-mechanical modelling of materials
- Quantum-classical modelling of enzyme-catalysed reactions
- Classical modelling of soft matter computational drug design
- Create organisms to spec
- Produce milligrams and grams of recombinant proteins
- Produce recombinant expression constructs for E. coli and Pichia Pastoris
- Fermentation of the above on a 10 –15 litre scale for protein production
Crystallography, Single crystal and Powder X-ray diffraction
- Detailed study of organic or organometallic complexes providing chemical identity, molecular conformation and crystal packing analysis
- In situ single crystal growth by laser heating
Mass Spectrometry and Protein Characterisation (SIRCAMS)
- MALDI or Liquid Extraction Surface Analysis (LESA)
- Spatial distribution of endogenous molecules, drugs and metabolites
- 3D statistical analysis and construction of 3D images
- Intact mass determination
- Bottom-up and top-down proteomics
- Hydrogen-deuterium exchange
- Ion mobility
- Non-covalent interactions and native mass spectrometry
Phenotyping Facilities
Specialist resources for measuring multiple parameters of cell physiology including proteomics, metabolomics and fluxomics.
Plant Science Facilities
Specialist resources for measuring multiple parameters of cell physiology including proteomics, metabolomics and fluxomics.
Innogen Institute
Research and consultancy around the ethical, legal and social implications of emerging technologies including synthetic biology.
UK Biochar Research Centre
Provides advice and expertise on biochar production and its application in resource management and sustainable energy.Facilities available:
- Biochar production and analysis of energy rich co-products
- Applications of biochar
- Feasible development for sustainable resource management
Centre for Science at Extreme Conditions
Generates and exploits new ideas and discoveries in the field of extreme conditions science including novel actives and enzymes from extremophiles. Facilities available:
- High-pressure diffraction
- Low-temperature measurement
- Magnetism, astrobiology and shielded X-ray laboratories