This thesis is a critique and proposed reform of the decision-making process under the European Patent Convention 1973, Article 53(a) as it relates to morality. It postulates that the manner in which the morality bar is currently managed is inappropriate as it relies on patent officials to make the initial decision as to whether the patent application is morally permissible or not. In a pluralistic world, morality is understood differently by a wide variety of people but this is not currently being acknowledged within the patent system. Whilst there is an option to bring opposition proceedings to challenge patent grants, this onus is considerable on the challenger and any debate is then played out by a very small sector of highly specialised experts, often with very differing views on morality. This thesis seeks to broaden the decision-making process to reflect society's pluralism. Officials, it will be argued, should instead of trying to decide what constitutes morality in a realm of such importance for humanity as a whole, administer a system which facilitates public participation and a vote. This will be based on existing models of widespread public deliberation and participation, albeit not ones that currently operate in (or near) the patent world. At present, criticisms in the legal literature tend to suggest more deliberation in the patent field and more participation is recommended in science literature but the logistics are unexplored and will be brought together in this work, making an original contribution to knowledge. In order to achieve its aim, the thesis employs a pluralistic methodology which includes doctrinal, socio-legal and interdisciplinary facets which will enable the construction of a model for reform of the patent system in the domain of morality. This will come from outside of traditional legal mechanisms such as legislative, judicial or patent office reform solutions, as a far-reaching paradigm is envisaged. The claim to originality lies in the extraction of principles from deliberative and participatory models of democracy and their application to the decision-making process in morally controversial biotechnological patents.

The recent surge in biodiesel production has resulted in a huge surplus of crude glycerol, a by-product of the process to the level of 10% by weight. This is turn has caused the price of glycerol to fall dramatically, and there are now few economically viable channels for using this resource: waste glycerol is usually combusted. Therefore, much interest has arisen in the possibility of making use of glycerol with biotechnology, as this would not only be a more efficient use of resources but also make biodiesel itself more commercially viable. The purple bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris is able to metabolize glycerol through photofermentation and thereby produce hydrogen, a commercially useful commodity. R. palustris is of particular interest for this purpose as, in contrast to many other species which have been investigated with a view to fermenting glycerol, it is highly tolerant of crude glycerol. The feedstock requires little purification or dilution to be made suitable for cultivation of R. palustris. Furthermore, the hydrogen gas produced by R. palustris when grown on glycerol is of high purity, and the organism's great metabolic diversity suggests it may be a useful strain for remediation of other waste materials. However, much groundwork is needed to establish R. palustris as a viable chassis organism for biotechnological purposes. This work sets out to establish optimal conditions for cultivating R. palustris in the laboratory, including the design of a suitable batch photobioreactor system. It also determines optimal conditions for electroporation of R. palustris for the purpose of knocking out endogenous genes or introducing heterologous genes. Furthermore, the introduction of heterologous genes is attempted in order to demonstrate the possibility of producing other high-value compounds with R. palustris, and several deletion strains with potential benefits for hydrogen production are created. Finally, several existing deletion strains are investigated to establish their suitability as chassis strains for further genetic manipulation.

M. Tech. Biotechnology. / Enterobacter sakazakii is an emerging pathogen implicated in serious illness and death in infants associated with consumption of contaminated powdered infant formula. Due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic and an increase in working mothers, the consumption of powdered infant formula is increasing. Unfortunately, isolation and identification methods for E. sakazakii have not yet been validated and standardized. Therefore, five isolation and identification methods for E. sakazakii from literature were evaluated. Subsequently the superior method was used for screening powdered infant formula.and other dairy products from the South African market for the prevalence of E. sakazakii and other Enterobacteriaceae bacteria.

Thesis (doctoral)--University of Oulu, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

Este trabalho analisa os requisitos para o estabelecimento de um Sistema de Inovação Orientado para a Sustentabilidade com base na inovação biotecnológica e avalia as condições para aplicá-la no estado brasileiro do Rio Grande do Sul. A biotecnologia tem o potencial de fornecer soluções sustentáveis para alguns dos maiores desafios que a humanidade enfrentará nas próximas décadas, tais como a escassez de alimentos, acesso à energia de fontes renováveis, degradação ambiental, a saúde de uma população cada vez mais numerosa e o agravamento das mudanças climáticas. Em âmbito nacional e estadual, este trabalho apresenta a estrutura para promoção da inovação biotecnológica, incluindo aspectos como o ambiente legal e regulatório, a formação de recursos humanos, desenvolvimento de ciência e tecnologia, bem como os cenários e oportunidades de financiamento. Ao fazê-lo, permite avaliar as condições existentes que podem estimular ou dificultar o estabelecimento de um Sistema de Inovação Orientado para a Sustentabilidade (SIOS) e aponta gargalos a serem resolvidos com vistas à implantação de um SIOS efetivamente operacional. / This assay analyzes the requirements for the establishment of a Sustainability-oriented Innovation System, based on biotechnological innovation and assesses the conditions for applying it in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Biotechnology has the potential to provide sustainable solutions to some of the greatest issues humanity will be facing in the coming decades, such as food shortages, environmental degradation, energy sources, population health, and climate-related changes. The assay presents the framework, at the level of country and state, to foster biotechnological innovation, such as legal and regulatory environment, training of human resources, science and technology scenarios, and funding opportunities. In doing so, this work evaluates the existing conditions that may stimulate or hinder the establishment of a Sustainability-oriented Innovation System (SoIS) and points to the bottlenecks which need to be addressed in order to establish an effective and operational SoIS.

Este trabalho analisa os requisitos para o estabelecimento de um Sistema de Inovação Orientado para a Sustentabilidade com base na inovação biotecnológica e avalia as condições para aplicá-la no estado brasileiro do Rio Grande do Sul. A biotecnologia tem o potencial de fornecer soluções sustentáveis para alguns dos maiores desafios que a humanidade enfrentará nas próximas décadas, tais como a escassez de alimentos, acesso à energia de fontes renováveis, degradação ambiental, a saúde de uma população cada vez mais numerosa e o agravamento das mudanças climáticas. Em âmbito nacional e estadual, este trabalho apresenta a estrutura para promoção da inovação biotecnológica, incluindo aspectos como o ambiente legal e regulatório, a formação de recursos humanos, desenvolvimento de ciência e tecnologia, bem como os cenários e oportunidades de financiamento. Ao fazê-lo, permite avaliar as condições existentes que podem estimular ou dificultar o estabelecimento de um Sistema de Inovação Orientado para a Sustentabilidade (SIOS) e aponta gargalos a serem resolvidos com vistas à implantação de um SIOS efetivamente operacional. / This assay analyzes the requirements for the establishment of a Sustainability-oriented Innovation System, based on biotechnological innovation and assesses the conditions for applying it in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Biotechnology has the potential to provide sustainable solutions to some of the greatest issues humanity will be facing in the coming decades, such as food shortages, environmental degradation, energy sources, population health, and climate-related changes. The assay presents the framework, at the level of country and state, to foster biotechnological innovation, such as legal and regulatory environment, training of human resources, science and technology scenarios, and funding opportunities. In doing so, this work evaluates the existing conditions that may stimulate or hinder the establishment of a Sustainability-oriented Innovation System (SoIS) and points to the bottlenecks which need to be addressed in order to establish an effective and operational SoIS.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Microorganisms of the class Actinobacteria and domain Archaea are interesting from a biotechnological perspective owing to their metabolic attributes as producers of secondary metabolites and resilience under harsh environmental conditions respectively. Lake Magadi is a soda lake well studied in terms of its geology and limnology. Research attention has also been drawn to the microbial populations which thrive in this unique habitat but currently there are no reports on the assessment of its microflora using molecular methods. This study aimed to assess the actinobacterial and archaeal communities within Lake Magadi, Kenya a hypersaline –highly alkaline habitat using metagenomic methods as a preliminary study to identify potential candidates for exploitative biology Samples from two sites dubbed Lake Magadi station 2 (LM2) and Lake Magadi salt pan 4 (LMS4) within the Lake Magadi were analyzed using the 16S rRNA gene as a phylogenetic marker. Cluster analysis of taxon-specific 16S rDNA PCR-DGGE profiles revealed moderately heterogeneous actinobacterial and archaeal populations across the sample sites under investigation which is probably a reflection of the differences in abiotic conditions at the study sites. This observation was also confirmed from the multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) plot. PCR-based clonal libraries of actinobacterial and archaeal communities of both study sites retrieved a total of thirty-two clones (twenty actinobacterial and twelve archaeal) were sequenced. Analysis of the sequences revealed cultured and uncultured signatures of microorganisms typical of hypersaline and or highly alkaline niches. A few (3) sequences presented novelty (<96%) in identities with any previously identified organism. It was concluded that the species dominance at site LMS4 [situated within the salt flats of Lake Magadi and site for exploration of trona and its mineralized extensions (nacholite and gayllusite)] is likely to be dictated by anthropogenic stress since most of the microbial signals associated with the study site are typical of saline and or alkaline environmental samples exposed to especially mining but also agricultural and waste management practices. Isolation studies also revealed previously identified strains peculiar to hypersaline brines and sediments. The strains retrieved were affiliated to the taxonomically diverse genus Bacillus and Halomonas sp. The true applications and potential opportunities these isolates have for biotechnology have been well documented. Observations made from the culture dependent and culture independent methods suggests strongly that study site LMS4 is subjected to environmental conditions more severe than at site LM2. This study is a guide for future studies as it provides primary information on the haloalkaliphilic representatives of the actinobacteria phylum and domain Archaea within the soda lake environment. It can serve as a pedestal for investigation into the molecular machinery that supports the haloalkaliphilic lifestyles of inhabiting microorganisms and consequently give leads as to how they can be commercially exploited.

Title: Patentability of biotechnological inventions under European Patent Convention The topic of thesis is the patentability of biotechnological inventions under the European Patent Convention (Munich, 1973) (hereinafter the "EPC") with special emphasis on decision making practices of the European Patent Office. At the beginning, the author deals with general patent law, in particular with fundamental substantive conditions of patentability of inventions, both positive and negative. A brief explanation is then devoted to the definition of biotechnological science and biotechnological invention. In the subsequent part of the thesis, the author discusses the sources of patent law in general and in relation to biotechnological inventions. The chapter is divided into three parts - international, European and national sources. Discussion regarding European sources is split into two subsections dealing with EPC and EU law. The author examines in particular the complicated legislative procedure for the adoption of the Directive 98/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council dated 6th July 1998 on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions and its impact on European patent law. National sources address primarily imperfect transposition of Directive 98/44/EC into the Czech law. The next chapter is...

La chitine est l’un des biopolymères les plus abondants dans la biomasse. Son principal dérivé industriel est le chitosane. Ces deux polysaccharides présentent un intérêt croissant en raison de leurs nombreuses propriétés physico-chimiques et biologiques remarquables. Leur utilisation en tant que matériaux est potentiellement intéressante dans de nombreux domaines tels que la pharmacie, la médecine, l’industrie alimentaire et l'agriculture. Malgré de nombreuses avancées dans les méthodes chimiques de production de la chitine et du chitosane, l'utilisation de solutions concentrées d'acides et de bases alcalines présente le désavantage de générer de grandes quantités d’effluents toxiques. Récemment, des méthodes d'extraction de la chitine par biotechnologie ont été proposées comme une alternative aux méthodes chimiques. Dans ce contexte, l'objectif principal de ce travail a été de développer un procédé biotechnologique d’extraction de la chitine à partir de carapaces de crustacés à l’aide de bactéries lactiques et d’enzymes. A cette fin, les facteurs influençant les réactions mises en jeu au cours de l’extraction, telles que la déminéralisation, la déprotéinisation et la N-désacétylation ont été étudiés en considérant les caractéristiques physico-chimiques des chitines et chitosanes ainsi obtenus. Ces caractéristiques sont principalement les masses molaires moyennes et le degré de N-acétylation. Ce travail s’est également intéressé à la valorisation des sous-produits d’extraction (protéines, pigments…) et aux applications potentielles des différents chitosanes préparés, notamment comme agents fongistatiques. / The chitin is one of the most abundant biopolymers in biomass. Its main industrial derivative is the chitosan. These two polysaccharides present an increasing interest thanks to their various interesting physicochemical and biological properties. Their potential applications concern diverse fields as the pharmacy, medicine, food industry and agriculture. Despite numerous advances in methods for the chemical production of chitin and chitosan, the use of concentrated solutions of acids and alkaline bases presents the disadvantage to generate large amounts of toxic wastes. Recently, biotechnological methods of chitin extractions have been proposed as an alternative to chemical methods. In this context, the main objective of this work was to develop a biotechnological process for the extraction of chitin from crustacean shells using lactic acid bacteria and enzymes. For this purpose, factors influencing reactions involved in the extraction, i.e. the demineralization, deproteinization and N-deacetylation, were studied considering the physicochemical characteristics (molecular weight and degree of N-acetylation) of chitin and chitosan produced. The recovery of extraction side products such as proteins and pigments has also been considered in this project, as well as the evaluation of various chitosans prepared by this process as fungistatic agents.

Orientador: Fernando Lucas Primo / Resumo: Os materiais nanoestruturados têm potencial diferente em comparação com outros materiais em maior escala, resultando em diferentes características e propriedades físico-químicas. Inicialmente foram preparadas nanoemulsões (NE) contendo corante vermelho (CV) um derivado de antraquinona, produzido pelo cultivo do fungo Talaromyces minioluteus em mesa incubadora rotativa, no entanto as NE com corante vermelho (CV/NE) não apresentaram características físico-químicas desejadas (tamanho de partícula ≤ 250 nm, índice de polidispersividade ≤0,3), partindo-se então para a utilização de nanocápsulas poliméricas (NC) como sistemas carreadores para este ativo. Foram preparadas amostras de NC vazias (Vazia/NC), com corante vermelho (CV/NC), com corante vermelho associado a ftalocianina de cloro alumínio (CV_ClAlPc/NC) e somente com ftalocianina de cloro alumínio (ClAlPc/NC). Estes nanomateriais foram caracterizados e apresentaram características físico- químicas adequadas, com tamanho de partícula < 250 nm, índice de polidispersividade ≤ 0,3 e potencial Zeta predominantemente negativo. As análises de estabilidade acelerada apresentaram um tempo vida de armazenamento > 3 meses para todas as NC. As análises de microscopia por força atômica (MFA) realizadas para CV/NC e CV_ClAlPc/NC mostram uma morfologia esférica para ambas as NC e tamanho de partícula de 104 nm para CV/NC e 211nm para CV_ClAlPc/NC, as análises por diferença de fase mostraram que a superfície da partícula é homogênea, ou se... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Nanostructured materials have different potential compared to other materials on a larger scale, resulting in different physico-chemical characteristics and properties. Initially NE were prepared containing red dye (RD) an anthraquinone derivative produced by cultivating the Talaromyces minioluteus fungus on rotary incubator table. However, the RD/NE have not shown the desired physical-chemical characteristics, starting with the use of nanocapsules as carrier systems for this active. Empty NC samples (blank / NC), with red dye (RD / NC), with red dye associated with phthalocyanine chlorine aluminum (RD_ClAlPc / NC) and with phthalocyanine chlorine aluminum (ClAlPc / NC) were prepared. These nanomaterials were characterized and presented adequate physico-chemical characteristics, with particle size <250 nm, polydispersity index ≤ 0.3 and Zeta potential predominantly negative. The accelerated stability analyzes showed a shelf life> 3 months for all NCs. Atomic force microscopy (MFA) analyzes performed for RD / NC and RD_ClAlPc / NC show a spherical morphology for both NC and particle size of 104 nm for RD / NC and 211nm for RD_ClAlPc / NC. The difference analysis of phase showed that the particle surface is homogeneous, that is, composed only of polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) and it is possible to affirm that there is no free active in the NC medium. UV-visible spectroscopic absorption and emission spectroscopic analyzes were performed which did not show changes in the free... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre