Partership for Section 1

The Biomedical and Analytical Center (BAC), housed at the Chemistry Department of the University of Ioannina (UOI), under the directions of Prof. Andreas Tzakos, since its establishment in 2015 has gained a great expertise in multiple disciplines. The primary objective of the BAC is to understand biological processes at the molecular & atomic level, with the aim of using this knowledge to tackle specific problems in human health and diseases. Its research encompasses a wide variety of projects including targeted and untargeted metabolomic analysis of plants, products of animal origin, and different biological matrices for different compound categories including phytochemicals, drugs, pollutants, pesticides, etc., as well as bioavailability, pharmacokinetics, and bioequivalence studies. It also actively participates in the discovery of effective early diagnostics/therapies for different disease states, including cancer, neurodegenerative conditions, and autoimmune diseases.
It houses state-of-the-art equipment including a unique hybrid GC/UHPLC-QToF mass spectrometry system (Waters Xevo G2-XS), a triple quadruple UHPLC-MS/MS system (Bruker EVOQ Elite), preparative and analytical HPLC systems, UV/Vis and fluorescence spectrometry systems, platform for plant extracts and essential oil production using SFE (supercritical fluid extraction), microwave organic synthesis platform, protein expression/purification platform, in silico-screening platform. Furthermore, the lab has access to cell cultures and cell-based screening platforms, HS-SPME/GC-MS, high resolution NMR and Orbitrap MS systems.
The lab has access to 500 MHz NMR equipped with a cryoprobe that can record multidimensional NMR spectra to complement the chemical fingerprint analysis and has established and patented a technology that takes place in a 5 mm tube (NMR tube bioreactor) for real-time biotransformation and ligand-protein screening of natural products, allowing the development of added value bioactive compounds. We have also developed and patented a novel method (TotPhen) using NMR that can accurately determine the number of polyphenols in bee products, thus determine their true antioxidant capacity. This method supersedes in accuracy the well-established methods of Folin-Ciocalteau and DPPH assays that can also be performed in our laboratory.
Its flagship system, the hybrid GC/UHPLC-QToF mass spectrometer is controlled by a novel powerful platform, the Waters® UNIFI® Scientific Information System. It is a unique software platform that merges LC/GC and high-performance MS data (both quadrupole and time-of-flight) into a single solution that encompasses data acquisition, processing, visualization, reporting, and configurable compliance tools within a networked laboratory environment. UNIFI provides the flexibility to employ high resolution separations and high-performance mass spectrometry across the entirety of discovery, development, and quality control. And UNIFI’s data mining and comparison capabilities enhance the ability to understand results with an unparalleled capability to aggregate and manage data.
The UNIFI scientific information system integrates many platform and application solutions for pesticide and mycotoxin screening, forensic toxicology analysis, natural products analysis, human metabolite identification, biopharmaceutical analysis, regulated bioanalysis, etc. It also includes several commercial and in-house libraries that contain more than 150,000 different compounds which can be identified with significant precision.
It is of great importance that the laboratory has established an agreement with Waters Company, and it is identified as a Waters High Resolution Mass Spectroscopy Reference Laboratory for the broader area of the Balkans.
The laboratory personnel are skilled not only in chemical/metabolomic analysis but also in multivariate statistical analysis techniques (Principal Component Analysis, Cluster Analysis. Discriminant Analysis, etc.), rendering it capable to successfully evaluate the analysis results and drawing significant conclusions.
In a highly competitive environment and under adverse conditions, the laboratory has managed to be accredited for compliance with ISO/IEC 17025 (accreditation certificate No. 1039) and has also been certified for operating according to Good Laboratory Practices (GLP).
Furthermore, the laboratory is equipped with a supercritical fluid extraction platform with carbon dioxide (CO2) and a supplementary co-solvent unit that can be a valuable asset for scientific research. Supercritical fluid extraction is a technique that uses high-pressure, high-temperature carbon dioxide to extract compounds from solid or liquid samples. The addition of a co-solvent unit allows for the extraction of a wider range of compounds, including polar and nonpolar substances. This technique is used in a variety of fields, including pharmaceuticals, natural products, and environmental science. It can be used to extract compounds from plant materials, such as essential oils, as well as to analyze environmental pollutants and contaminants. Supercritical fluid extraction is a green alternative to traditional extraction methods, as it does not require the use of organic solvents and can be easily scaled up for industrial applications.
https://bac.chem.uoi.gr/

We are interested in participating in a consortium for Section 1.

Biodiversity, Metabolites, Biomarkers, Screening, Plants, Extraction, Waste, Livestock feed, Sustainability, Circular economy