Laboratory for Biosystems and Chemical Enginering (LISBP)

Head of Laboratory: Nic D Lindley (CNRS Research Director)

Assistant Head of Laboratory: Alain Liné (INSA Professor)

The LISBP is the result of a fusion between the LBB (Laboratory Biotechnology-Bioprocess Engineering) and the LIPE (Laboratory of Process Engineering and Environment). This fusion was already anticipated in the previous contract period by the obtaining of a PPF entitled « Science and Technology for Life Sciences and Environmental Engineering ».

The objective for this new laboratory is to establish at Toulouse a pole for systems biology and process engineering, regrouping basic microbiology and process engineering so that the specific phenomena involved in the specific spatio-temporal variations in the process environment can be examined in a consolidated manner. The personnel are attached to two doctoral schools: SEVAB and TYFEP which cover the entire spectra of scientific activities pursued by this multi-disciplinary laboratory.

Key words

The name of the laboratory includes the key words Engineering, Systems Biology and Processes which reflect perfectly the interdisciplinary and multi-sectorial objectives of the ensemble.

Engineering: the laboratory is localised in an engineering school, this term is therefore an underlying theme for the entire laboratory, but over and above this the term is of key significance as it implies that the scientific analyses resulting from our research are not conceived as simply descriptive analysis of the phenomena involved but oriented towards rational improvement of the processes examined so as to enhance the process performance.

Systems biology: a large number of the models studied have a biological component and this biological catalyst evolves as a complex system within a process system in which the evolution of the environment has a direct influence on the biological behaviour. The understanding of the biocatalysers studied is therefore always in the context of the specific constraints imposed by the process necessitating an effort to identify clearly such phenomena. The biological response is directly related to the environmental limitations and it is therefore clear that any contribution to systems biology only has any pertinence if these constraints are correctly identified. This approach applied to complex populations, single strains or enzymes isolated from the host cell requires considerable effort to master the molecular tools, and most particularly the post-genomic approaches, but similar efforts to identify the physico-chemical and mechanical constraints which condition the biological response are equally important, though frequently neglected. Since the environment evolves in a dynamic manner, time constants are of critical importance. The unique composition of the laboratory enables this ambitious subject to be undertaken in a consolidated manner, offering advantages not possible elsewhere.

Process Engineering: this term refers to the different approaches which would be found within ''chemical engineering'', ''biochemical engineering'' and ''environmental engineering'' in the Anglo-Saxon model. Virtually all the research undertaken within the laboratory aim to improve the fundamental understanding of the process technology, which when applied to diverse domains of application (environment, health, agro-food chain, pharmacy, chemicals, petrol, energy, drinking water, etc.) impose specific constraints. Even the fundamental studies of systems biology have the aim to understand the biological functions expressed within a process context. The vision of process engineering is not therefore limited to the classical empirical approach often used in Engineering Sciences but wherever possible is extended to fully understand the phenomena involved. Even though certain aspects of process technology continue to be studied using models in which a biological input is absent, the long-term goal is to consolidate this engineering approach with biological input, and more specifically to examine the interactions between biological behaviour and the specific constraints imposed by the process technology. Biotechnology exploits the biological potential in extreme conditions often considerably distant from those environments in which the biological component has evolved, imposing technological limitations which must be respected. The potential for innovative process engineering is therefore high in this domain and once again the structure of the laboratory is conceived to achieve high level results in this domain.

Structure of LISBP

The new laboratory is structured around five complimentary research groups:

The groups “Biocatalysis” and “Physiology and Microbial Metabolism” are retained from those of LBB, while “Microbial Systems and Bioprocesses”and “Transfer, Interfaces and Mixing” result from restructuring of the research teams following the creation of a new laboratory. The group “Separation, Oxidation and Hybrid Processes” is directly derived from the LIPE but has undergone significant modifications to meet new challenges. These five groups represent a continuum enabling research projects going from basic molecular analysis to process engineering to be pursued, taking into account all the necessary levels of observation spanning this domain. 

This structure made up of five research groups was established so as:

      to enable clearly identified scientific domains to achieve the necessary degree of international visibility ; but also

      to encourage collaborative research projects which span the disciplines to provide a truly integrated vision of process engineering.