Basf Se Corporation

B.r.a.i.n. Biotechnology Research and Information Network Ag

Brain Ag

Cyplus Gmbh

Cvplus Gmbh

Brain Biotech Ag

Esther Gabor

Guido Meurer

Jürgen Eck

Andrea Christiansen

Xin Lu

Yvonne Tiffert

Martin Langer

Stephen Gos

Benedikt Hoffmann

Andreas Buthe

Franz Kaufmann

Andreas Hafner

Holger Zinke

Renate Schulze

Arnulf Kletzin

Gordon Bradley

Anke Bachert

Hans-Jörg Koch

Marco Fiedler

Jorg Reichert

Bendikt Hoffmann

Jörg Reichert

The invention provides an assay for identifying a bacterium capable of binding elemental heavy metal, comprising the following steps: cultivating a test bacterium in a suitable first culture medium; immersing at least a surface portion of a test tool into the first culture medium for a second predetermined period of time, said surface portion being coated by elemental heavy metal, respectively; removing said test tool from said first culture medium and optionally rinsing the test tool; contacting a second culture medium with the surface portion coated by elemental heavy metal of said test tool removed in the previous step; and identifying the test bacterium as being capable of binding elemental heavy metal from growth of the test bacterium in said second culture medium.

Biological ore processing for the isolation of heavy metals

The present invention relates to a species of genusidentified asBR11571, termed, having Accession Deposit Number DSM 32538.

Species of genus

The invention provides a process of isolating or enriching a heavy metal present in a liquid medium. The process comprising the following steps: (a) incubating a suspension containing (i) particulate scrap metal, household waste and/or industrial waste containing a heavy metal in elemental form and (ii) biomass comprising a bacterium, or a combination of two or more bacteria, capable of binding the heavy metal; (b) separating the biomass having bound heavy metal from the suspension of step (a); and (c) isolating the heavy metal from the biomass separated in step (b).

Biological processing of scrap metal, household waste and/or industrial waste for the isolation of heavy metals

The invention provides a process of isolating or enriching a heavy metal present in a suspension containing a particulate mineral ore containing a heavy metal, comprising the following steps: incubating a suspension containing (i) a particulate mineral ore containing a heavy metal and (ii) biomass comprising a bacterium capable of binding the heavy metal; separating the biomass having bound heavy metal from the suspension of the previous step; and isolating the heavy metal from the biomass separated in the previous step.

The present invention relates to a nucleic acid molecule encoding a chimeric protein having the biochemical activity of a surface active protein, wherein said chimeric protein comprises: (a) an N-terminal portion of a first surface active protein, wherein the N-terminal portion is devoid of between 0 and 10 of the most N-terminal amino acids of the mature first surface active protein; and, C-terminally thereof, (b) a C-terminal portion of a second surface active protein, wherein the C-terminal portion is devoid of between 0 and 10 of the most C-terminal amino acids of the mature second surface active protein. The present invention further relates to a vector, a non-human host and a method for the production of a chimeric protein having the biochemical activity of a surface active protein. In addition, the present invention relates to a chimeric protein encoded by the nucleic acid molecule of the invention and a composition comprising the chimeric protein. The chimeric protein may only consist of the above mentioned core of (a) and (b), but may also be flanked by additional components of the core, i.e. (a) or (b) or by (an) additional complete core(s) (a) and (b). The present invention furthermore relates to a method of coating and/or impregnating a material, comprising contacting the material with the chimeric protein or the composition of the invention.

Chimeric surface active proteins

By treatment with hydrophobins, cellulosic materials such as paper, cardboard, cotton or, especially, wood-based materials, such as solid wood, glued wood products or particle board, can be effectively protected against absorption of and attack by water and/or moisture.

Method of treating cellulosic materials with hydrophobins

The invention relates to a use of surface active hydrophobins for applications in pharmaceutical technology, in particular as excipients for galenic use. Provided is a method for either admixture of hydrophobins to galenic compositions or for treating the surface of pharmaceutical forms with a hydrophobin-containing solution to modify the pharmaceutical properties of the galenic form. In a preferred embodiment of the invention hydrophobins are used to improve the properties of a pharmaceutical composition, e.g. to act as a surfactant or to increase resistance to disintegration of the galenic forms to achieve a retarded drug release. The galenic form to be modified by the use of surface active proteins as excipients can be capsules, tablets, pills, microparticles, vesicles, and suppositories, although further galenic forms are envisioned. The surface active proteins used for the purpose of present invention can either be isolated from their respective natural source or prepared by recombinant techniques and expression in a suitable host.

Surface active proteins as excipients in solid pharmaceutical formulations

Growing community of inventors

Zwingenberg, Germany

Esther Gabor