Frank Baganz
Senior Lecturer in Biochemical Engineering
MSc Exams Co-ordinator
MSc (Engineering Stream) Tutor
Phone: +44 (0)20 7679 2968
Fax: +44 (0)20 7916 3943
f.baganz@ucl.ac.uk
Education
PhD Biomolecular Sciences, UMIST (1998)
Dipl. Ing. (FH) Chemical Engineering/Biotechnology, FHO Emden , Germany (1993)
Professional Appointments, Honours and Awards
Post-Doctoral Research Associate, UCL (1998-1999)
Lecturer in Biochemical Engineering, UCL (1999-2005)
Member, SCI Biotechnology Subject Group Committee
Member, Society of General Microbiology
Associate Member of the Institution of Chemical Engineers
Associate Editor, Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology
Research Interests
Frank’s research is focussed on microscale bioprocess engineering and synthetic biology with emphasis on metabolic engineering/modelling.
In collaboration with Professor Gary Lye, he has been pioneering the use of microwell-based techniques to acquire information about fermentation and bioconversion. In particular he has been examining the engineering fundamentals of mixing and oxygen transfer in microplate wells and novel miniaturised bioreactors. This research also demonstrated the feasibility of predictive scale up from micro/mini reactors to lab scale reactors using established methods. In collaboration with Professor Gary Lye and Dr Martina Micheletti he is developing microscale processing approaches to the culture of microbial and mammalian cells that have the potential for automation. The micro/mini bioreactor work is complemented by detailed characterisation of fermentation and cell culture processes at lab scale and its integration with downstream processing for processing of complex macromolecules as part of the IMRC in Bioprocessing.
Frank is a co-investigator of the multidisciplinary BiCE programme that is concerned with the development of novel tools integrating chemistry, biology and engineering to accelerate development of biocatalytic processes. In particular he is concentrating on the modelling of enzyme-catalysed reactions and construction of de novo pathways for synthesis of complex chiral molecules in collaboration with Professor John Ward (Structural and Molecular Biology) and Dr. Darren Nesbeth. To integrate these pathways with host cell metabolism he is developing modelling and experimental approaches for the analysis of metabolic networks. For rapid determination of enzyme kinetics he constructed a prototype enzyme micro reactor using a fused silica capillary. Together with his colleagues Dr Nicolas Szita and Dr Helen Hailes (Chemistry) he is taking this work forward by applying microfluidic approaches to chemo-enzymatic reactions.
Funding for the above research has come from the UK BBSRC, EPSRC and a range of company collaborators.
Teaching and Training Activities
Frank’s current teaching activities focuses on fermentation and bioreactor design/engineering and cover both undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes operated by the Department. He also teaches on a number of the department's post-experience MBI® training modules covering aspects of fermentation, metabolic engineering and experimental design. In addition he coordinates the MBI® module of Rapid Fermentation Process Design.
In terms of administrative roles Frank is Tutor of the MSc students which involves monitoring academic progress and pastoral care. He also chairs the Departmental Safety Committee.
Selected Publications
*If you would like further information on any of these publications or news of related research, please contact f.baganz@ucl.ac.uk
Matosevic, S, Lye, G. L. and Baganz, F. (2010) Design and characterisation of a prototype enzyme microreactor: Quantification of immobilised transketolase kinetics. Biotechnol. Progr. 26, 118-126
Silk, N. J., Denby, S., Lewis, G., Kuiper, M., Hatton, D., Field, R., Baganz, F. and Lye, G. L. (2010) Fed batch operation of an industrial cell culture process in shaken microwells. Biotechnol. Lett. 32, 73-78 (DOI 10.1007/s10529-009-0124-0).
Dalby, P. A., Baganz, F., Hailes, H. C., Lye, G. J. and Ward, J. M. (2009) Protein and pathway engineering in biocatalysis for the development of new medicines. Chimica Oggi. 27, 18-22.
Chen, B. H., Micheletti, M., Baganz, F., Woodley, J. M. and Lye, G. J. (2009). An efficient approach to kinetic model generation based on automated microscale experimentation and model driven experimental design. Chem. Eng. Sci. 64, 403-409 (doi:10.1016/j.ces.2008.09.030)
Bryant, W. A, Krabben, P., Baganz, F., Zhou, Y. and Ward, J. M. (2009) The analysis of multiple genome comparisons in genus Escherichia and Its application to the discovery of uncharacterised metabolic genes in uropathogenic Escherichia coli CFT073. Comp. Funct. Genomics, 782924.
Gill, N. K., Appleton, M., Baganz, F. and Lye, G. J. (2008). Design and instrumentation of a novel miniature bioreactor system for high throughput fermentation optimisation. Biochem. Eng. J., 39, 164-176.
Matosevic, S., Micheletti, M., Woodley J. M., Lye G. J. and Baganz, F. (2008) Quantification of kinetics for enzyme-catalysed reactions: implications for diffusional limitations at the 10 mL scale. Biotechnol. Lett.. 30, 995-1000 (10.1007/s10529-008-9645-1.
Chen, B.H., Baganz, F. and Woodley, J.M. 2007. Modelling and optimisation of a transketolase mediated carbon-carbon bond formation reaction. Chem.Eng. Sci., 62, 3178-3184. doi:10.1016/j.ces.2007.02.025
Betts, J.I., Doig, S.D. and Baganz, F. 2006. Characterization and application of a miniature 10 mL stirred-tank bioreactor, showing scale-down equivalence with a conventional 7 L reactor. Biotechnol. Prog.22, 681-688. doi: 10.1021/bp050369y
Betts, J.I. and Baganz, F. 2006. Miniature bioreactors: current practices and future opportunities. Microbial Cell Factories. 5, 21. doi: 10.1186/1475-2859-5-21
Micheletti, M., Barrett, T., Doig, S.D., Baganz, F., Levy, M.S., Woodley, J.M. and Lye, G.J. 2006. Fluid mixing in shaken bioreactors: Implications for scale-up predictions from microlitre scale microbial and mammalian cell cultures. Chem. Eng. Sci. 61, 2939-2949. doi:10.1016/j.ces.2005.11.028
Doig, S.D., Diep, A. and Baganz, F. 2005. Characterisation of a novel miniaturised bubble column bioreactor for high throughput cell cultivation. Biochem. Eng. J. 23, 97-105. doi:10.1016/j.bej.2004.10.014
Doig , S.D., Pickering, S.R.C., Lye, G.L. and Baganz, F. 2005. Modelling surface aeration rates in shaken microtitre plates using dimensionless groups. Chem. Eng. Sci. 60, 2741-2750.
doi:10.1016/j.ces.2004.12.025
Hodgson, B.J., Taylor, C.N., Ushio, U., Leigh, J.R., Kalganova, T. and Baganz, F. 2004. Intelligent modelling of bioprocesses: a comparison of structured and unstructured approaches. Bioprocess Biosystems Eng . 26, 353-359. doi:10.1007/s00449-004-0382-0
Lye, G.J., Shamlou, P.A., Baganz, F., Dalby, P.A., Woodley, J.M. 2003. Accelerated design of bioconversion processes using automated microscale processing techniques. Trends Biotech., 21, 29-37. doi:10.1016/S0167-7799(02)00011-2
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