BioSamplr: An open source, low cost automated sampling system for bioreactors.

Autosampling from bioreactors reduces error, increases reproducibility and offers improved aseptic handling when compared to manual sampling. Additionally, autosampling greatly decreases the hands-on time required for a bioreactor experiment and enables sampling 24 h a day. We have designed, built and tested a low cost, open source, automated bioreactor sampling system, the BioSamplr.

Improved two-stage protein expression and purification via autoinduction of both autolysis and auto DNA/RNA hydrolysis conferred by phage lysozyme and DNA/RNA endonuclease.

We report improved release of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli, which relies on combined cellular autolysis and DNA/RNA autohydrolysis, conferred by the tightly controlled autoinduction of both phage lysozyme and the nonspecific DNA/RNA endonuclease from Serratia marcescens. Autoinduction occurs in a two-stage process wherein heterologous protein expression and autolysis enzymes are induced upon entry into stationary phase by phosphate depletion. Cytoplasmic lysozyme and periplasmic endonuclease are kept from inducing lysis until membrane integrity is disrupted.

Scalable, two-stage, autoinduction of recombinant protein expression in E. coli utilizing phosphate depletion.

We report the scalable production of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli, reliant on tightly controlled autoinduction, triggered by phosphate depletion in the stationary phase. The method, reliant on engineered strains and plasmids, enables improved protein expression across scales. Expression levels using this approach have reached as high as 55% of the total cellular protein.

Media Robustness and Scalability of Phosphate Regulated Promoters Useful for Two-Stage Autoinduction in .

A key challenge in synthetic biology is the successful utilization of characterized parts, such as promoters, in different biological contexts. We report the evaluation of the media robustness of a small library of PhoB regulated promoters that enable heterologous protein production in two-stage cultures. Expression levels were measured both in a rich Autoinduction Broth as well as a minimal mineral salts media.

A Review of the Biotechnological Production of Methacrylic Acid.

Industrial biotechnology can lead to new routes and potentially to more sustainable production of numerous chemicals. We review the potential of biobased routes from sugars to the large volume commodity, methacrylic acid, involving fermentation based bioprocesses. We cover the key progress over the past decade on direct and indirect fermentation based routes to methacrylic acid including both academic as well as patent literature.