The capacity of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans DMS 11478 to recover the heavy metals contained in the residue obtained from the CARON process has been evaluated. Different bioreactor configurations were studied: a two-stage batch system and two semi-continuous systems (stirred-tank reactor leaching and column leaching). In the two-stage system, 46.8% Co, 36.0% Mg, 26.3% Mn and 22.3% Ni were solu...

Background Vero cells are adherent cell lines commonly used for the production of viral vaccines. We had developed an animal component free medium that allows an optimal growth of this cell line in stirred bioreactor [1,2]. We had also showed that Vero cells grown in this medium (called IPT-AFM) sustained rabies virus replication, and resulted in an overall yield comparable to the level obtaine...

Continuous culture under elevated pressures is an important technique for expanding the exploration of microbial growth and survival in extreme environments associated with the deep biosphere. Here we present a benchtop stirred continuous culture bioreactor capable of withstanding temperatures ranging from 25 to 120°C and pressures as high as 69 MPa. The system is configured to allow the employ...

The ability to generate human pluripotent stem cell-derived cell types at sufficiently high numbers and in a reproducible manner is fundamental for clinical and biopharmaceutical applications. Current experimental methods for the differentiation of pluripotent cells such as human embryonic stem cells (hESC) rely on the generation of heterogeneous aggregates of cells, also called "embryoid bodie...

A pH-controlled continuous lactic acid fermentation of whey permeate supplemented with yeast extract was carried out with Lactobacillus helveticus entrapped in K-carrageenan-locust bean gum gel beads at various dilution rates and pH set points. A kinetic study of the immobilized cell continuous fermentation in a 1-I stirred-tank reactor containing 33% (v/v) gel beads was carried out with an ori...

BACKGROUND Umbilical cord blood provides a source of hematopoietic stem cells for transplantation with immunological and availability advantages over conventional bone marrow sources. Limited cell numbers and slower engraftment from umbilical cord blood units has led to the clinical development of immobilised Notch ligand Delta-Like 1 to promote ex vivo expansion of a rapidly engrafting cell po...

The inherent non-linearity of citric acid fermentation from Aspergillus niger renders its control difficult, so there is a need to fine-tune the bioreactor performance for maximum production of citric acid in batch culture. For this, fuzzy logic is becoming a popular tool to handle non-linearity of a batch process. The present manuscript deals with fuzzy logic control of citric acid accretion b...

BACKGROUND Collagen has proved valuable as biomedical materials for a range of clinical applications, particularly in wound healing. It is normally produced from animal sources, such as from bovines, but concerns have emerged over transmission of diseases. Recombinant collagens would be preferable, but are difficult to produce. Recently, studies have shown that 'collagens' from bacteria, includ...