Journal of Biotechnology & Biomaterials
Open Access

Abstract

Besides current applications in the nutraceutical and cosmetic sectors, microalgae and cyanobacteria have recently gained attentions for biofuel production, from biogas to biodiesel. To extend the scope of valuable microalgal products, highthroughput (HTP) screening methods are useful tools besides laboratory photobioreactors for tapping into on one hand the biodiversity (~350,000 species) and the other thephysiological flexibility of these photosynthetic microorganisms. Indeed, the achievement of competitive bioproduction through microalgae cultivation has to meet different types of requirements, from growth tests as a function of nutrients or light to identification of operational factors triggering over-accumulations of metabolites. Automated workstations with multimode readers allow microplate-based in situ and ex situ assays linked to short- and long-term incubations for respectively biochemical and growth tests. Filled 24 or 96-well microplates are incubated either in the dark for heterotrophic or under LED-panels for photoautotrophic or photoheterotrophic assays. The proposed MTS strategy has extended the use of these tools for semi-continuous cultures and some relevant other analysis. In situ measurements allow the indirect determination of cell population and pigments content and some ratios such as vitality index or carotenoid/chlorophyll after calibration of the signal on a Partial-Least-Square (PLS) regression basis, taking accounts for concentration/spectra relationships and the limits of detection and quantitation. End-point (batch cultures) or regular (semicontinuous cultures) ex-situ measurements are done through programmed plate-to-plate or plate to quartz microcells transfers for determination of some other parameters including residual nutrient concentrations, cell viability, infrared spectra, reactive oxygen species contents (ROS) for completing the required datasets.

Biography

Catherine Dupré has completed her PhD at Pierre et Marie Curie University (UPMC) in 1993 before joining the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers up to 2013 as Professor Assistant. She is the co-author of 11 papers and 56 communications (speech or posters) in international congress. She has managed an industrial culture collection, Algobank-Cnam, in association with some technological transfers, particularly through two patents, to private companies. She has co-managed the R&D platform of the Cnam-Intechmer at Cherbourg, before joining as CNRS Research Engineer in 2013 the GEPEA laboratory UMR CNRS 6144 at Saint-Nazaire.