Current state and prospects of biotechnology in Central and Eastern European countries. Part I: Visegrad countries (CZ, H, PL, SK)

Innovation is a key determinant of sustainable growth. Biotechnology (BT) is one such industry that has witnessed a revolution in innovative ideas leading to the founding of many new companies based on providing products, solutions and services, stretching from the food industry to environmental remediation, and new medicines. BT holds much promise for the development of national and local economies, however, this requires a strategic approach involving actors within government, industry, and academia working in concert to maximize this potential. This first article reviews the current "state of play" in the field of BT within the Central Eastern European (CEE) countries. For the purposes of this article, CEE refers to the countries of Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia (the so-called Visegrad - V4 countries). We examine the components that support the creation and development of a BT sector in CEE and also highlight the barriers to these objectives. Clearly setting priorities for the countries' policy agenda, as well as the alignment of Smart Specialization Strategy will help to focus efforts. Recent investments in R&D infrastructure within CEE have been substantial, but conditions will need to be optimized to harness these largely European investments for effective use towards SME high-tech development

Validation of metabolomics for toxic mechanism of action screening with the earthworm Lumbricus rubellus

One of the promises of environmental metabolomics, together with other ecotoxicogenomic approaches, is that it can give information on toxic compound mechanism of action (MOA), by providing a specific response profile or fingerprint. This could then be used either for screening in the context of chemical risk assessment, or potentially in contaminated site assessment for determining what compound classes were causing a toxic effect. However for either of these two ends to be achievable, it is first necessary to know if different compounds do indeed elicit specific and distinct metabolic profile responses. Such a comparative study has not yet been carried out for the earthworm Lumbricus rubellus. We exposed L. rubellus to sub-lethal concentrations of three very different toxicants (CdCl2, atrazine, and fluoranthene, representing three compound classes with different expected MOA), by semi-chronic exposures in a laboratory test, and used NMR spectroscopy to obtain metabolic profiles. We were able to use simple multivariate pattern-recognition analyses to distinguish different compounds to some degree. In addition, following the ranking of individual spectral bins according to their mutual information with compound concentrations, it was possible to identify both general and specific metabolite responses to different toxic compounds, and to relate these to concentration levels causing reproductive effects in the worms

A method of isolating viable chondrocytes with proliferative capacity from cryopreserved human articular cartilage

This study aimed to optimise methods of cryopreserving human articular cartilage (AC) tissue for the isolation of late chondrocytes. Human AC specimens from osteoarthritis patients who had undergone total knee replacement were used to optimise the chondrocyte isolation process and the choice of cryoprotective agent (CPA). For AC tissue cryopreservation, intact cored cartilage discs (5 mm diameter) and diced cartilage (0.2-1 mm cubes) from the same sized discs were step cooled and stored in liquid nitrogen for up to 48 h before chondrocyte isolation and in vitro assay of cell viability and proliferative potential. The results showed that 10 % dimethyl sulphoxide in 90 % foetal bovine serum was a successful CPA for chondrocyte cryopreservation. Compared with intact cored discs, dicing of AC tissue into 0.2-1 mm cubes significantly increased the viability and proliferative capacity of surviving chondrocytes after cryopreservation. In situ cross-section imaging using focused ion beam microscopy revealed that dicing of cored AC discs into small cubes reduced the cryo-damage to cartilage tissue matrix. In conclusion, modification of appropriate factors, such as the size of the tissue, cryoprotective agent, and isolation protocol, can allow successful isolation of viable chondrocytes with high proliferative capacity from cryopreserved human articular cartilage tissue. Further studies are required to determine whether these cells may retain cartilage differentiation capacity and provide sufficient chondrocytes for use as implants in clinical applications

Breeding and scientific advances in the fight against Dutch elm disease: Will they allow the use of elms in forest restoration?

Elms (Ulmus spp.) were once dominant trees in mixed broadleaf forests of many European territories, mainly distributed near rivers and streams or on floodplains. Since ancient times they have provided important services to humans, and several selected genotypes have been massively propagated and planted. Today elm populations are severely degraded due to the negative impact of human-induced changes in riparian ecosystems and the emergence of the highly aggressive Dutch elm disease pathogens. Despite the death of most large elm specimens, there is no evidence of genetic diversity loss in elm populations, probably due to their ability to resprout after disease. The recovery of elm populations from the remaining diversity should build from genomic tools that facilitate achievement of resistant elm clones. Research works to date have discerned the genetic diversity of elms and are well on the way to deciphering the genetic clues of elm resistance and pathogen virulence, key findings for addressing recovery of elm populations. Several tolerant clones suitable for use in urban and landscape planting have been obtained through traditional species hybridization with Asian elms, and various native clones have been selected and used in pilot forest restoration projects. Successful reintroduction of elms should also rely on a deeper understanding of elm ecology, in particular their resilience to abiotic and biotic disturbances. However, all these efforts would be in vain without the final acceptance of elm reintroduction by the social actors involved, making it necessary to evaluate and publicize the ecosystem services elms can provide for today’s society.European CommissionMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad (España)Depto. de Genética, Fisiología y MicrobiologíaFac. de Ciencias BiológicasTRUEpu