Year: 2024

New managing director at the b-ACT matter research and transfer centre

In November 2024, Franziska Ullm took over as Managing Director of the Research and Transfer Centre for Bioactive Matter b-ACT matter, succeeding Dr Susanne Ebitsch, who left Leipzig University in October to join the Center for the Transformation of Chemistry (CTC).
The biochemist from Saxony is not new to Leipzig University. She has already studied biology here and later completed a master’s degree in biochemistry with a specialisation in biomedicine.
After completing her studies, Franziska Ullm remained at Leipzig University for the time being: She worked at the Institute of Biochemistry as a research assistant and doctoral student until 2022, where she gained experience in coordinating research projects and supervising junior researchers.
For the past two years, she worked at the FILK Freiberg Institute gGmbH, a non-university Freiberg research institution with an accredited testing laboratory specialising in materials science and technology development.


We are delighted that Franziska Ullm has taken over the administrative management of the centre and would like to extend a warm welcome to her!

Franziska Ullm is the new Managing Director of the b-ACT matter research and transfer centre.

b-ACT matter Symposium

Innovative Bio-based Materials and Technologies: Shaping Future Regional Development and Perspectives

We invite you to the b-ACT matter Symposium

on 24 March 2025
from 9 am to 6 pm

in the BIO CITY LEIPZIG.

We kindly invites you to engage in a dynamic discussion centered on bio-based materials and cutting-edge technologies for novel applications. Our goal is to offer a wider perspective on the future directions of this innovative research area. Together with our esteemed partners from international, national, and regional projects, alongside invited scientists, local and regional policymakers, and government, we will explore the following key topics:

  1. New methodologies and principles in bioactive matter and AI for advancing sustainable technologies.
  2. Technology transfer in natural and life sciences, with a focus on fostering innovation and start-ups in these fields.
  3. Chemical production within a circular economy framework.
  4. Resource management and sustainability, including critical areas such as energy, feed, and water.
  5. Sensor technologies for applications in medicine and environmental monitoring.

The specific programme schedule can be found in the agenda.

Registration
Please register by using the online form.
If you have any questions, please contact us by Email.

VENUE
Leipzig University
Center of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BBZ)
Lecture hall (SR 1)
Deutscher Platz 5
04103 Leipzig

Agenda Symposium
Programme

Thanks to our sponsors:

Science Slam at the University Leipzig

On Tuesday, November 12, 2024, a science slam will take place at Leipzig University at 8:00 p.m., where Selina Hanisch from the b-ACT junior research group BioMat will also give a presentation. The event will be moderated by Jack Pop, known from the Circus of Science Leipzig. The supporting program and other slams will be held in German, Selina’s presentation will be in English. All interested parties are cordially invited to experience an entertaining evening together.

The event is free of charge.

Where?
Leipzig University
Chemistry & Minearology
Johannisallee 29
grand lecture hall 027

When?
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
8 -10 pm (entry: 7:30 pm)

What?
Interactive science event with slams from medicine, computer science, biochemistry, biotechnology and, of course, lots of memes! Link to the event page: Universität Leipzig: Science Slam: Vorhang auf für die Wissenschaft

IP4 Science Talks of Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research

Topic of the talk:
Exoelectrogenesis as an enduring extracellular electron transport pathway in photosynthetic bacteria

Referent:
Dr. Laura Wey
Photosynthetic Microbes Group, University of Turku, Finnland

When?
December 3, 2024 | 2:30 pm

Where?
in KUBUS 1CD
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research
Permoserstrasse 15
04318 Leipzig

In this seminar Dr. Laura Wey will present her research on exoelectrogenesis – the fascinating behaviour of photosynthetic microorganisms (and chloroplasts) whereby they export electrons to their external environment. Her work aims to elucidate the underlying biophotoelectrochemical mechanisms of exoelectrogenesis, identifying the electron sources and pathways involved, as well as how this process interacts with other auxiliary electron transport pathways within the cell. She will discuss how she has coupled photoelectrochemistry with photosynthesis spectroscopy to analyse photocurrent profiles alongside key photosynthetic parameters, such as P700 and ferredoxin redox kinetics, of mutants lacking photosystems or intracellular electron sinks, such as flavodiiron proteins and the NDH-1 complex. Their findings reveal that while intracellular electron transport pathways initially dominate, exoelectrogenesis persists long-term, continuing to generate photocurrent even in the presence of a strong heterologous intracellular electron sink.
She looks forward to sharing these findings and their potential implications for green energy and biotechnology.

All members of b-ACT matter are cordially invited!

Joint Biochemical colloquium of the Institute of Biochemistry and b-ACT matter

We cordially invite you to the Joint Biochemical colloquium of the Institute of Biochemistry and b-ACT matter in December.

Topic of the colloquium:

Carbon dioxide utilization and microbiomes: Unraveling physiological traits of anaerobic (gas-fermenting) microbes

Referent:
Dr. Bastian Molitor

When?
December 10, 2024 | 16:00 to 17:30

Where?
The event will take place in presence.

Faculty of Life Sciences
Brüderstr. 34
Small lecture hall (2nd floor)

Can’t attend on site?
For all those interested who cannot attend on site, there is also the option of taking part via livestream:
https://uni-leipzig.zoom-x.de/j/65624868400
Meeting-ID: 656 2486 8400
Kenncode: 347108

The research of Dr. Bastian Molitor is mainly focused in microbes that thrive in the complete absence of oxygen (anaerobes), and that feed on gases such as hydrogen and carbon dioxide as substrates for growth. These microbes can be found in many natural and man-made environments, in the digestive tract of animals and humans, as well as in anaerobic digesters, where they encounter interactions with other microbes and get infected by microbial viruses.

Photo: Colourbox

Kick-off meeting of the M-ERA.NET project LivMat

The new b-ACTmatter project ‘LivMat: Productive catalytic living materials: combining 3D biobased fibrillar membranes with synthetic microbial consortia to produce chemicals’ was launched this summer.
On 19 September 2024 the project partners from Leipzig University, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Kaunas University of Technology (KUT), University of Latvia (ULaT) and Solaga GmbH met in Leipzig’s BIO CITY for the kick-off meeting.

At the kick-off meeting, the project partners presented their respective expertise and methods and concretised the next steps and tasks in the project process. The scientists discussed how methods, materials and the conditions of the used technologies and current models can be improved and what potential role AI could play in the optimisation processes..

The next meeting of the project partners is planned for next year in Istanbul.

Rationale and Objectives of the Livmat project

Global chemical systems are primarily fossil-dependent, which means limited and emission-intensive. Sustainable solutions for the production of chemicals for a circular (bio)economy are therefore imperative.

The main objective of the LivMat project is to capture and utilize natural resources (such as natural fibers) and waste resources (e.g. CO2) to develop catalytic living materials (cat-LMs) that are robust, energy efficient and scalable for chemical production. The project aims to develop a synthetic microbial consortium that utilises natural and waste resources. In addition, the construction of prototype bioreactors based on cat-LMs for continuous monomer production is planned. The process helps to bind CO2 and support the EU’s targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. With the development of bioreactor prototypes for continuous chemical production, the project supports the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan.

Funding network M-ERA.NET

The project is funded by M-ERA.NET (‘Material and Energy Research Alliance – European Network’). The consortium is a European network of public funding organisations that supports and improves the coordination of national and regional funding programmes in the field of materials and battery technologies. It funds projects with innovative technologies that pursue and promote the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

New publication about the detection of sulfonamide antibiotics

Our research group ‘Active Materials’ recently published an article on the detection of sulfonamide antibiotics with optical biosensors in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. The technology developed in the research group is based on elastic hydrogel microparticles, so-called soft colloidal probes (SCP).

Sulphonamide antibiotics were the first synthetic antibiotics on the market and still have a a broad field of applications. Their extensive usage, wrong disposal, and limited degradation technologies in wastewater treatment plants lead to high concentrations in the environment, resulting in a negative impact on ecosystems and an acceleration of antibiotic resistance. Although lab-based analytical methods allow for sulfonamide detection, comprehensive monitoring is hampered by the nonavailability of on-site, inexpensive sensing technologies.
The publication shows a proof-of-concept for the detection of sulfonamide antibiotics in aqueous samples for application options in environmental monitoring. The presented technology exploit functionalized elastic hydrogel microparticles and their ability to easily deform upon specific binding with enzyme-coated surfaces to establish the groundwork of a biosensing assay for the fast and straightforward detection of sulfonamide antibiotics outside the laboratory.

Go to the Paper

Joint Lecture of EU Marie-Curie-Network DYNAMO and b-ACTmatter

September 18, 2024
The EU Marie-Curie-Network „DYnamic control in hybrid plasmonic NAnopores: road to next generation multiplexed single MOlecule detection DYNAMO“ is organizing a research and training network for developing the next-generation single molecule technologies using hybrid DNA and metallic nanostructures.
Within a three-day network workshop of the doctoral program, there will be a joint DYNAMO/b-ACT matter event on Wednesday, September 18, where doctoral students can present their research in lectures. The network will include academic and high-tech industry partners that are experts in optical spectroscopy, DNA nanostructure, nanopore technology, and single molecule detection. The DYNAMO objective is to prepare the next generation of highly skilled researchers that will advance the science of single molecule detection and characterisation.

Agenda of the joint DYNAMO b-ACTmatter Lecture

9:00 – 10:30: Session 1: Structural DNA nanotechnology – DNA nanostructures, design principles, methods, supra-structure assembly (Lecturer: Dr. Henri Franquelim)
10:30 – 11:00: Coffee break
11:00 – 12:30: Session 2: DNA-based colloidal assembly – colloidal assembly, CNT alignment, DNA-based lithography, applications (Lecturer: Prof. Ralf Seidel)
12:30 – 14:00: Lunch break
14:00 – 15:30: Session 3: Tech Transfer and IP (Lecturer: Dr. Susanne Ebitsch)
16:00: End of Joint Lecture 

What is the circular economy?

SAS and b-ACTmatter visit pupils in Lommatzsch

On August 6 and 7, Dr. Susanne Ebitsch, Managing Director of b-ACTmatter, and Thomas Wendland from the Saxon Agency for Structural Development GmbH SAS, visited the Lommatzscher secondary school for Nursing care for a talk on Circular Economy.

The aim was to familiarize the 8th and 9th grade students with the topic using the traveling exhibition “Circular economy from the perspective of Saxon research institutions” and the projects about enzymatic plastic recycling by the founding team ESTER Biotech and plastic production with slimy bacteria / algae-WGs by the junior research group BIOMAT of b-ACT matter. Together with the pupils, we discussed ideas on how everyone can contribute to a sustainable circular economy. The drinking cups and gardening tools made from bio-based plastic (PBS @ Exipnos) were particularly eye-catching. The circular economy has particularly great potential for successful structural development in the Free State of Saxony.

The aim was therefore also to sensitize the young generation to the importance of the circular economy and to provide initial insights into research and the future world of work.

Many thanks to the principal Ms. Gerlach and all the class teachers involved!

SAS und b-ACTmatter besuchen Schülerinnen und Schüler in Lommatzsch
Dr. Susanne Ebitsch and Thomas Wendland at secondary school in Lommatzsch. Foto: Thomas Wendland

b-ACT matter Retreat at Nimbschen

,


Away from their desks and out of the lab: the b-ACT matter team spent a day at the Nimbschen Monastery Hotel near Grimma to review the current status of research and transfer projects at b-ACT Matter.
Dr. Henri Franquelim and Dr. Rohan Karande presented the innovative research of their junior research groups on the development of biomimetic systems and biomaterials. The LivMat and REPLACER projects, for example, offer opportunities to transform the chemical industry with new bacterial technologies.

In the transfer sector, Prof. Tilo Pompe presented his research group’s start-up project, in which point-of-use sensor assays are developed and used as mobile detection methods for chemical compounds in environmental samples. Dr. Christian Sonnendecker from the start-up EST3R Biotech presented the latest optimizations in the design of plastic-degrading enzymes on the way to high-throughput processes for industrial use.

Vorträge des Forschungs- und Transferprojekte beim Retreat von b-ACT Matter