Technology is the key driver for most of our businesses and LibraGen has strong scientific and technical bases to develop new products and manufacturing bioprocesses.
Since its creation, LibraGen has integrated a complete range of expertise (including chemistry, bioprocess, pilot lab, enzyme engineering, and immobilization) and of exclusive patented technologies to provide its customers with efficient and economically valuable solutions.
META-DNA® technology
One of LibraGen’s competitive technologies consists in the ability to turn the huge bacterial untapped diversity into an accessible enzyme toolbox to develop innovative industrial production processes. This technology gives LibraGen a unique opportunity to identify brand-new biocatalysts involved in more efficient synthesis reactions.
The proprietary META-DNA® technology developed by LibraGen consists of directly purifying bacterial genetic information (DNA) from the environment (i.e. principally sourced from non-culturable bacteria). The metagenomic DNA contains a large number of different bacterial genomes (up to 1000 to 10 000 per gram of soil). The DNA fragments are singled out and incorporated into culturable host bacteria (see scheme). The foreign DNA gives the bacterial host the traits encoded by the cloned DNA sequences. Thus, each clone contains a different DNA.
BIO-EVOL®
LibraGen differentiates itself by using its world-class technology. Our industrial pragmatism leads us to apply protein engineering only to enzymes for which no pragmatic chemical process improvement can be considered. LibraGen’s protein engineers have developed and patented a new protein-directed evolution called Bio-Evol®.
This technology closely mimics natural recombination processes by crossing over genes in vitro by recursive gene cleavage and assembly. It simulates the ‘split and mixes’ methods well known from chemists in random chemistry synthesis. Bio-Evol® is high fidelity and robust technology that shuffles genes at the desired position while randomizing the genetic exchanges.
GENE TRANSFERT
Recombinant expression of proteins and metabolites is a key point for the successful transfer of a gene discovery to the industrial scale. LibraGen’s geneticists have succeeded in developing shuttle systems that enable a straightforward transfer of complete operons and genes from E.coli to Streptomycetes species.
These genetic tools open the door to the use of stable recombinant Streptomyces strains expressing enzymes or complete pathways for secondary metabolites such as anti-cancer, anti-bacterial or anti-inflammatory compounds.
Combined with the metagenomic resources of LibraGen, this gene transfer expertise offers unlimited discovery possibilities for both industrial and academic applications.