Improved capacity for microbial detection and metabolite identification

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Two pieces of laboratory equipment, an HPLC and a digital droplet PCR are requested to support our current**research program in microbial bioproducts involving both technical staff at the Institute for Sustainable**Horticulture and Faculty members in Horticulture, and students. Increasing numbers of industry partners in our**region with increasingly complex research and development needs in the area of microbial bioproduct**development, are approaching Kwantlen Polytechnic University for R&D partnership. The university wishes to**expand it's capacity to support these SMEs and provide faculty, researchers and students with up-to-date**research tools. The HPLC will complete a suite of instruments to allow full chemical analysis of metabolites**and enzymes related to beneficial fungi and bacteria, and some natural plant extracts. The ddPCR will bring the**molecular capacity of KPU to state-of-the-art and support work with industry partners to track and identify**microbial organisms at very low levels in various places including soil. The ddPCR is fast becoming the**standard for PCR identification because of its innate capacity to replicate samples and provide statistically**reliable results. A number of current projects and industry partners will benefit from these two pieces of**equipment immediately, and KPU will be able to offer more research support to future industry partners, in**particular, SMEs in our region. The area of microbial bio-products is expanding rapidly in our region and this**is an area in which we are building our capacity for partnerships. To include students in these projects is to give**them another advantage in the job market upon graduation.