Our services

We are good at finding

In the search for suitable product candidates (microorganisms, enzymes or natural substances), we use an extensive collection of natural resources and metagenome libraries (BRAIN BioArchive) within the BRAIN Biotech Group.

If a particular enzyme is not found in the BRAIN Biotech Group’s enzyme portfolio, our metagenome libraries are the basis for our sequence- or activity-based search for new enzymes.

Our subsidiary Analyticon Discovery is a specialist in natural product chemistry and in the high-throughput isolation of natural products from various biological resources. Promising bioactive candidates (BRAIN Bioactives) are characterized in more detail and researched further.

We find microorganisms with specific properties, for example, in the BRAIN BioArchive. We develop them further so that they can be used as functional biomass for industrial production processes or as high-performance production organisms.

We know all about expression systems

Construction of microbial expression systems: Our microbiologists and molecular biologists are highly experienced in constructing suitable microbial expression systems, which can then be used to produce proteins and enzymes on an industrial scale. For the expression of a "gene of interest" encoding a candidate enzyme or protein, the gene is inserted into an expression host.

Variety of expression strains: For the production of enzymes and proteins, we access a variety of expression strains, based on prokaryotic host organisms (including Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas stutzeri, Streptomyces lividans) and eukaryotic host organisms (including Pichia pastoris, Kluyveromyces lactis, Aspergillus niger).

Verification of production performance and targeted strain development: With the help of our bioinformatics and bioprocess technology experts, we generate basic strains in a short time to test the production performance and thus the suitability of an expression system. Subsequently, the production yield is maximized via directed and/or random strain development.

Optimize wild-type producers: In addition to heterologous protein and enzyme production, our experts also optimize wild-type producers by "evolution in the lab" and subsequently screen the generated diversity in high-throughput processes to identify enhanced producers.

We are experienced in application

We select the most suitable prokaryotic and eukaryotic expression strains for the economic production of enzymes and biocatalysts. If necessary, we use precisely designed strains and novel synthesis routes for high-value industrial production processes.

On request, we optimize enzymes already used by our customers to better meet complex process and application requirements.

Our experience with activity- and sequence-based screening (e.g. in the form of biochemical or cell-based assays) accelerates our search for bioactive substances.

Our customers benefit from the know-how of the entire BRAIN Biotech Group: in optimizing the biological effect of natural products; in testing the stability of enzymes and production strains; and in the formulation of custom-fit applications.

We can quickly develop strains in a targeted manner

Whether the aim is to obtain higher yields, more stable production strains or alternative substrates: we develop our microorganism strains to meet our customers' requirements. Among other things, we use our proprietary genome editing technology (CRISPR-Cas9-independent BEC technology) to achieve the desired result faster and in a more targeted manner.

From laboratory scale to process: we have the know-how

The step from laboratory scale to pre-industrial or industrial scale requires knowledge of process development and process optimization. The experienced engineers of the BRAIN Biotech Group contribute this knowledge during scale-up and tech transfer, among other things. Many of the processes we have developed have already been implemented in companies.