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Research Interests |
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Recombinant proteins for industrial and pharmaceutical applications have been expressed in various plants and plant tissues that range from tough sugarcane stalks to minute-size aquatic plants like Lemna minor. Because plants are novel protein production platform, there is a lack of practical data that would allow bioprocess engineers to develop processes that best match the target product requirements and specifications. Each plant host has unique set of potential impurities that have to be removed during purification and whose presence may vary in quality and quantity depending on the extraction conditions, plant growth conditions, and stress caused by over expression of recombinant molecules.
The goal of our research is to develop novel and cost-effective strategies for recovery and purification of recombinant proteins by understanding constraints posed by the system and the product. We have recently expanded the Lab’s research interests to include identification and removal of critical impurities and undesirable activities from plant extracts. To identify key process parameters and unit operations that have the greatest impact on the conceptual process we use process simulation and cost analysis. A combination of experimental data and process economics allows us to propose and test processes and separation methods that best fit transgenic feedstock characteristics. |
