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Biochemical synthesis apparatusRelated Patent Categories: Chemistry: Molecular Biology And Microbiology, Micro-organism, Tissue Cell Culture Or Enzyme Using Process To Synthesize A Desired Chemical Compound Or CompositionBiochemical synthesis apparatus description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060068460, Biochemical synthesis apparatus. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001] The present invention is concerned with apparatus for use in a biochemical reaction of a microorganism, and a process for the synthesis of one or more biochemicals as a result of that biochemical reaction. [0002] Microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria produce a vast diversity of chemical species through biochemical pathways which constitute secondary metabolism. Secondary metabolism commences in the absence of one or more nutrients essential to the performance of primary metabolism. While primary metabolites and their metabolism are essential for growth, secondary metabolites by definition are not, but they are believed to contribute to the survival of a microorganism in a number of ways, as set out in "Diversity of Microbial Products--Discovery and Application" by N. Porter and F. M. Fox (1993), Pesticide Science 39, pp 161-168. Secondary metabolites, therefore, often exhibit diverse biological properties and as such can provide the basis of new therapeutic drugs. [0003] As a consequence, microorganisms are constantly being studied with a view to finding new and useful secondary metabolites. However, commonly used processes for the fermentation and production of samples containing secondary metabolites are often not compatible with the requirements of modern drug screening technologies. In small scale fermentations, secondary metabolism cannot be controlled effectively and many different and often randomly selected nutrient solutions must be used to achieve the specific set of conditions required for secondary metabolism. Additionally, secondary metabolites secreted by the microorganism are diluted and contaminated with complex nutrients present in the growth medium. This can lead to low quality samples for screening. [0004] In liquid fermentation, secondary metabolites are currently produced by suspending a sample of the microorganism in a medium consisting of an aqueous solution or suspension of a combination of appropriate nutrients. The suspension is placed in a stoppered flask which allows the ingress of oxygen and the flask is agitated by shaking to mix and aerate the suspension. Growth and primary metabolism of the microorganism occurs until one of the essential nutrients in the medium is exhausted, at which point secondary metabolism commences. Initially, after inoculating the nutrient medium with microorganism there is often a variable delay or lag period before growth commences. Then, in trophophase, the organism grows in a linear or exponential fashion through primary metabolic processes until the growth rate begins to decrease as an essential nutrient, such as nitrogen or phosphate, becomes exhausted as the organism enters idiophase. At that point, secondary metabolism is induced as a result of a specific nutrient exhaustion and a secondary metabolite is produced. [0005] For an individual microorganism, the lag phase can vary due to, amongst other things, the age and size of the culture inoculum. Replicate cultures, while growing at the same rate, could have different lag phases and therefore could finish growing and enter idiophase at different times. [0006] Moreover, different microorganisms could exhibit similar lag phases but differ significantly in their growth rates so that they consume essential nutrients at different rates, and they finish growing at different times, consequently entering idiophase at different times. The different growth rates could also be exhibited by an individual microorganism growing on different nutrient containing media. [0007] For high throughput screening of secondary metabolites, samples thereof need to be generated by cultivating microorganisms in large batches. The inability to control secondary metabolism by established processes means that the potential of each organism within a batch to produce new secondary metabolites is not realised because samples are prepared from fermentations after a fixed time period at which it is expected that secondary metabolism will have commenced. However, for the above reasons organisms may not have begun secondary metabolism. Additionally, secreted secondary metabolites will be mixed with complex nutrients from the growth media. These can interfere with the drug screening procedures, making screening less efficient and productive. [0008] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus and a procedure which allows more predictable production of secondary metabolite samples in a form compatible with the operational requirements of high throughput screening technologies. [0009] A first aspect of the invention provides a biological procedure including arranging biomass with access to a medium, said medium being suitable to support biomass growth, and replacing said medium with a replacement medium suitable to define conditions for secondary metabolism in said biomass. [0010] A second aspect of the invention provides a procedure for generating a biochemical including the steps of causing an organism to metabolise in the presence of a first medium for growth of biomass and causing said organism to metabolise in the presence of a second medium for generation of said biochemical. [0011] A third aspect of the invention provides a procedure which comprises the steps of growing an organism under conditions of primary metabolism in the presence of excess essential nutrients for growth, separating the organism from the essential nutrients and allowing the organism to metabolise in the absence of essential nutrients under conditions supporting secondary metabolism. [0012] A fourth aspect of the invention provides a procedure which comprises the steps of growing an organism under conditions of primary metabolism in the presence of excess essential nutrients for growth, separating the organism from the essential nutrients and allowing the organism to metabolise in the presence of a reduced concentration of one or more essential nutrients so as to support secondary metabolism. [0013] A fifth aspect of the invention provides a procedure which comprises the steps of growing an organism under conditions of primary metabolism in the presence of excess essential nutrients, separating the organism from the essential nutrients, and placing the organism in conditions supporting secondary metabolism thereby to generate a secondary metabolite. [0014] It is an advantage of the invention that secondary metabolites generated in accordance therewith can be secreted into a liquid medium containing no or limited amounts of defined nutrients but substantially free from the complex mixture of essential nutrients required for the growth of the organism. [0015] It is a further advantage of the invention that defined conditions can be selected to induce and support secondary metabolism in a diverse range of microorganisms. [0016] By providing a specific separation step, the exhaustion of an essential nutrient can be carefully controlled, thereby inducing secondary metabolism and controlling the production of secondary metabolites. [0017] A sixth aspect of the invention provides a biological procedure including placing biomass with access to a medium formulated for biomass growth, selectively removing said biomass from said medium, and placing said biomass with access to a secondary medium suitable to stimulate an alternative metabolic pathway. [0018] A seventh aspect of the invention provides apparatus for arranging a microorganism for metabolism, the apparatus comprising a receptacle for containing a nutrient medium, and a means for supporting a microorganism which allows access to nutrient for metabolism, wherein the means for supporting a microorganism can be selectively separated from the nutrient in use. [0019] An eighth aspect of the invention provides apparatus for supporting biomass such that said biomass can be selectively positioned for access to an environment for controlling a biological process in said biomass in use. [0020] A ninth aspect of the invention provides a procedure including arranging biomass with access to a medium, said medium being suitable to support biosynthesis with respect to said biomass, and replacing said medium with a replacement medium from which a product of said biosynthesis is distinguishable. [0021] Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will be appreciated from the following description of specific embodiments and examples of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: [0022] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of apparatus in accordance with a first specific embodiment of the invention; [0023] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a raft of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1; [0024] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a fermentation vessel in accordance with the first specific embodiment of the invention; Continue reading about Biochemical synthesis apparatus... Full patent description for Biochemical synthesis apparatus Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Biochemical synthesis apparatus patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. 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