Life Sciences & Biotechnology
Title : | Micromachines for Development of Biomaterials, A Natural Polymer from Agro Waste and 3D-Printing for Biomedica Applications: A Translational Research |
Area of research : | Life Sciences & Biotechnology |
Principal Investigator : | Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Indian Institute Of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, West Bengal |
Timeline Start Year : | 2023 |
Timeline End Year : | 2026 |
Contact info : | rintuin@gmail.com |
Equipments : | See-saw Bioreactor
3D Printer |
Details
Executive Summary : | Bacterial Cellulose (BC), a natural biopolymer, is gaining popularity due to its purity and potential applications in various industries. However, conventional methods of using synthetic carbon sources for BC production are economically unviable. Several national and international research groups are working on characterization of BC from various sources, but scaling-up to meet industry requirements is limited. The PI and her team have established BC production from a novel bacterial strain using synthetic carbon sources, with a promising yield of approximately 5.97 g/L. The study focuses on microbial production of BC through designing a suitable bioreactor and optimizing its growth and cellulose synthesis mechanisms.
The proposed "See-Saw" bioreactor (approximately 50-100 L) aims to reduce operational costs and increase BC productivity by minimizing shearing effects. This is the first time a "See-Saw" bioreactor has been proposed for commercial scale production of any biopolymer from microbial sources. The project aims to establish sustainable harvesting and extraction of BC, and after characterization and biocompatibility checking, different biomedical products will be fabricated using a 3-D Printing approach. In vitro biocompatibility and microscopic studies will be conducted to check the binding and growth pattern of cell lines on the 3-D printed scaffold. The completion of the proposed work is expected to deliver an indigenous technology at the TRL 7 level, which is expected to be taken up by relevant stakeholders. |
Co-PI: | Prof. Rabibrata Mukherjee
Indian Institute Of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, West Bengal-721302 |
Total Budget (INR): | 61,27,682 |
Organizations involved