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iBB/MIT Reaserchers Develop a New High-Plasmid Producer E. coli Strain

iBB/MIT Reaserchers Develop a New High-Plasmid Producer E. coli Strain | iBB | Scoop.it

Researchers from BERG-iBB and the Prather lab at MIT developed a pgi gene knockout E. coli strain with the specific goal of producing large amounts of plasmid DNA vectors. The new strain was tested by Nature Technology Corporation in the US, yielding 2100-2200 mg plasmid DNA per L in 14 L bioreactors. The strain may be usefull in the large scale production of plasmid-based gene transfer vectors with application in  gene therapy, DNA vaccination and recombinant protein production by transient transfection. The research was developed under the framework of the MIT-Portugal program and is a direct result of Geisa Gonçalves (in the photo) Ph D. thesis in Bioengineering. Click on title to learn more.

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Characterization of the Topography and Wettability of English Weed Leaves and Biomimetic Replicas

Characterization of the Topography and Wettability of English Weed Leaves and Biomimetic Replicas | iBB | Scoop.it

In a recent paper published in Journal of Bionic Engineering, researchers from BERG-IBB studied the topography and wettability of the underside of English weed (Oxalis pes-caprae) leaves using epoxy replicas created via a two-step casting process. Leaves were found to be close to super hydrophobic due to the presence of a characteristic pattern of irregular 100 µm – 200 µm × 60 µm convex papillae. The water repellency properties of such microstructured surfaces may have important applications, including self-cleaning, anti-microbial and anti-fouling.

 

Photo details: SEM image of an epoxy replica of the leaf of English weed. P.M. Pereira, 2013.

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