Sample Management
The process known
as Sample Management includes collection,
transformation, and transfer of samples and information
to other processes. All activities are performed
under strict quality guidelines required by all
Bioprospecting research projects. One of the most
important aspects of this process is its direct
link to the Conservation Areas, from where most
of the samples processed are obtained. Once the
permits are obtained and the expedition to the protected
area is coordinated, the details that aid in planning
any field trip are defined, such as: sample type
and quantity, possible extraction sites, access
routes, etc. Once the samples have been located
and collected in the field they are properly identified,
packaged, stored, and transported, taking every
measure necessary to avoid any damage. At INBio's
facilities, if required, the sample is prepared
through whatever transformation process is necessary,
for example drying, grinding, dividing, etc. All
samples are delivered duly identified and packaged
to the next Bioprospecting process.
Also, all information derived from the collection
and preparation stages is properly organized and
stored.Another method of obtaining samples is to
do so directly from our clients or partners. In
this case there are no collection stages, but all
other phases of the process apply.Biotechnological
prospectingThe Microbiology Laboratory
is equipped with all the biotechnological tools
necessary for experimentation, evaluation, and formulation
of projects related to the handling and collection
of products derived from the manipulation of microorganisms,
supported in the microbial diversity existent in
Costa Rica.Some of this laboratory's activities
include:
- Search for compounds
with antimicrobial activity
- Toxicity assays
- Enzymatic assays
- Search for proteins
with industrial importance from bacterial cultures.
Biotechnological
prospecting
The Molecular Biology
Laboratory uses molecular techniques for obtaining
bacteria DNA from different sources, mainly extreme
environments. Through a strategic alliance with
Diversa, a biotechnology company in San Diego, California,
INBio is currently involved in the study of non-cultivated
bacteria as a source of enzymes that could have
applications in the pharmaceutical field, agricultural
field, and especially the chemical industry. In
this same laboratory, a series of projects in the
molecular taxonomy area are being carried out. Such
is the case of the study of the Theraphosidae
family in Costa Rica, represented by some 32 species
distributed throughout the country. This project
is aimed at solving this family's taxonomic problems,
based on morphological characters and the analysis
of the mitochondrial DNA sequence (16s mtDNA).
The Mycology Laboratory represents one of
the intra-institutional strategic alliances between
the Inventory and Bioprospecting Programs. It consists
of four main areas: the sample reception area, the
medium isolation and preparation area, the bioassay
and culture development area, and the mycology library.
It has the equipment necessary to perform the isolation,
culture and fermentation of fungi, and its main
activities include the development of biological
control bioassays, isolation of fungi from different
environments, and ferment production. As of 2002,
the laboratory holds a collection of around 1500
fungi stored in sterile mineral oil, comprised mainly
of microfungi and endophyte fungi.
Bioprospecting also includes a Plant Biotechnology
Laboratory, in which technologies are developed
that involve establishing domestication and micropropagation
protocols for plant life in our biodiversity with
potential in the ornamental, medical and conservation
industries.Cultures from plant tissues have also
been developed, oriented towards improving the production
and extraction of chemical compounds of interest
in the pharmacology field.
Chemical prospecting
The Process of Chemical
Prospecting has a laboratory equipped with the infrastructure
and equipment necessary for the manufacture of extracts
and their standardization, isolation of natural
products with chemical and bioassay monitoring,
and their structural identification and elucidation.Liquid
chromatography equipment will soon be available
for performing separations in large quantity extracts,
which will make it possible to obtain fractions
or compounds with a considerable degree of purity.
This equipment is completely computerized and facilitates
the separation of purified extracts from different
sources in a fast, efficient, and traceable manner.There
is also a library of extracts obtained from plants,
insects, and microfungi.
Thanks to the collaboration with several different
institutions, research has been performed in various
different fields:
- Human health (evaluation
of extracts with potential use in the treatment
of gastrointestinal pathologies, Malaria, Chagas
Disease)
- Cosmetic (plants
with antimicrobial activity for topical application
and fragrance prospecting)
- Biological
control (production of a natural nematicide
in a pilot plant and evaluation of its efficiency
in five national tropical cultures).
