Press notice
September 8th 2010
Estonian company BiotaP LLC opens a laboratory for environmental monitoring unique in Europe
Estonian company BiotaP LLC opens today, on the 8th of September, a new experimental laboratory for metegenomic analyses, which is first of a kind research centre in Europe for monitoring environments.
The metagenomic analyses educed by BiotaP OÜ permit to make quick and simple evaluation of the 'health' of and the change in the environment. The multiplicity of microorganisms and the diversity of a microbiom in the soil, clean water, air, food etc are the basis of the analysis. The board member Sirli Sipp Kull of Biotap LLC, the spin-off company of Tallinn University of Technology, said that the work will be done with the new type of DNA sequencer, which is first such in North and East of Europe and purveyed by Roche branch office in Lithuania.
„With this technology it is easy and handy to determine for instance the whole genome of one bacteria in just one day, making the modern molecular biology into 'everyone's science'," Sirli Sipp Kulli explains. „BiotaP OÜ is one of the few companies in the world that develops metagenomic testing systems. The opening of the new laboratory creates possibilities to offer new accredited sequencing services for the enterprise working under the trademark of BiotaLaboratories.“
The founding of the laboratory cost more than 8 million kroons (EEK), from which around 3,7 million was subsidised by Enterprise Estonia (EAS). European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is also a co funder of the laboratory. In December 2009 Estonian Development Fund in cooperation with private investor invested in BiotaP LLC 4,7 million kroons. The head of Innovation Division of EAS Ilmar Pralla said that through the Support programme for Labs more than 36 million kroons were given for establishing seven new experimental and half-industrial labs in Estonia.
„The goal of the subsidies is to support Estonian enterprises with local experimental services," Pralla explained. „The better are the relations between entrepreneurs and experimental laboratories, the more successfully can Estonian companies work out international products and services."
The aim of BiotaP LLC is to create new metagenomics based methodology for monitoring environment and analysis of anthropogenic factors. For the first time in Estonia BiotaP LLC is combining the classical ecology and modern molecular biology to solve environmental problems within different studies on basic and developmental level. The primary goal of the enterprise is to describe the metagenomic 'fingerprint' of the soil of our own and surrounding regions’ ecosystems to create the quantitative and certified system for environmental monitoring.
Enterprise Estonia (EAS), established in 2000, promotes business and regional development in Estonia. Enterprise Estonia is one of the largest institutions within the national support system for entrepreneurship, providing financial assistance, advisory, cooperation opportunities and training for entrepreneurs, research establishments, public and third sector.
Good journalists!
You are welcome to the opening of the unique environmental monitoring laboratory today, 8th of September, at 14:00 Akadeemia tee 15A, Tallinn.
More info:
Sirli Sipp Kulli
BiotaP LLC board member
Akadeemia tee 15A
Tallinn 12618
E-mail sirli@biotapristine.com
+372 555 30 790
Ilmar Pralla
Head of the EAS innovation division
E-mail ilmar.pralla@eas.ee
+372 627 9707
