Marje Kasari, Research Fellow in Microbiology

We are developing a biotechnological platform that allows the production of different proteins in bacteria without using antibiotics or any other selection method. Our solution is as effective as the conventional ones, but because it does not use antibiotics there is no need to certify that the end-product is antibiotics-free. This is especially important for products used in food and pharmaceutical industries.

Recombinant proteins are an important group of products that are widely used in various sectors, including food and pharmaceutical industries, in production of textiles, detergents, cosmetics and biofuels. Proteins can only be produced by living cells, often in bacteria. In the bioproduction process of recombinant proteins, various selection methods, most often antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotics, are used to ensure the maintenance of the product gene in the production strain. Unfortunately, antibiotics are costly to utilise and eliminate from the end-product as required by the regulations. In addition, the use of antibiotics in large scale increases the risk of spreading the antibiotics resistance.