Team:Tec-Monterrey/teaminstallations/centrofemsa

Our headquarters for the development of this project were the facilities at the FEMSA Biotechnology Center at the Tecnológico de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico. At this center, we were kindly given access to the Laboratory of Genetic Manipulation and Molecular Diagnostics, which became our main workplace throughout the summer. It was in this laboratory that we had all the necessary equipment to perform most of our experiments: DNA extractions, gel electrophoresis, ligations, digestions and gel purifications, as well as space to carry out research for the development of the project.

We also had access to the Fifth Floor Research Facilities at the Biotechnology Center, where we performed the part of the project that demanded much more sophisticated equipment, such as transformations by electroporation, quantifications and fluorescence assays.

Additionaly, part of our work had to be done at the ITESM School of Medicine, namely the preparation of electrocompetent cells. This Center, located at the Tecnológico de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico, is devoted to the generation of research, the transfer of knowledge and the modeling of new business schemes that involve biotechnology and food technology areas. For such reasons, it is equiped with cutting-edge infraestructure in laboratories, pilot plants and business incubators.

The Center emerged 15 years ago as a response to the increasing trends in scientific and technologic innovation in the country and the whole world and through time it has supported the following lines of research, all focused in the innovation of products, processes and services:

Food Biotechnology:
• Study of biomolecules found in Mexican plants and foods with therapeutic properties.
• Development and optimization of new food products and processes.

Bioprocess Engineering:
• Design, scaling and optimization of biotechnological processes.
• Pharmaceutical and Medical Biotechnology:
• Development and validation of new drugs.
• Molecular diagnostic of diseases.
• Culture and differentiation of tissues.
• Biological Chemistry:
• Isolation and characterization of biologically active compounds.
• Synthesis of new drugs
• Design of new materials with applications in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries.

Some of the strategic partners of the center are:
• Cambridge University, UK
• Texas A&M University
• Cornell University
• Arizona State University
• University of California (San Diego & Davis)
• Carnegie Mellon University

Some of the achievements of the center are:
• More than 14 patent requests.
• More than 250 papers published in journals with high indexing level.
• 3 published books.
• 12 book chapters
• 30 researches, of which, more than 70% belong to the National System of Researchers.

The Monterrey Institute of Higher Education, or in Spanish Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM, or simply Tec de Monterrey) is one of the largest private, non-profit, independent coeducational multi-campus universities with no political or religious affiliation in Latin America. It is based in Monterrey, Mexico and has 33 campuses throughout the country, in addition to international presence through liaison offices in 12 foreign countries. It has one of the top graduate business schools in the region (EGADE) and is one of the leaders in patent applications among Mexican universities.

The Tecnológico de Monterrey was founded in 1943 as a result of the far-reaching vision and the commitment of Don Eugenio Garza Sada and a group of businessmen. Today, when reality has outreached the original concept, the Tecnológico de Monterrey includes practically all the areas of knowledge, having an educational offering that consists of a wide assortment of undergraduate majors, specialties, Masters Degree programs, medical specialty programs, and Ph.D. programs in the fields of Agriculture, Architecture, Biotechnology, Business and Management, Communications, Design and Applied Art, Engineering and Sciences, Health, Humanities and Social Sciences, Information Technology, and Law, among others.

The Tecnológico de Monterrey is working to be the most widely recognized educational institution in Latin America for the leadership exercised by alumni in the private, public, and social sectors, and for the research and technological development it carries out to promote a knowledge-based economy, generating management and business incubators models, improving public administration and public policies, and creating innovative models and systems for the sustainable development of the community.

The educational model emphasizes collaborative work and uses didactic techniques such as problem-based learning, project-oriented learning, and the case-solving method. In this way knowledge is applied to solving real-life problems, it makes studying meaningful and becomes the object of critical reflection and social commitment. There is also a big emphasis and commitment on generating knowledge and creating an entrepreneurial culture.

During the past years, the Institution has turned its attention to biotechnology, heavily investing in infrastructure, teaching and laboratory equipment. This includes the FEMSA Biotechnology Center, which is an intellectual hub for the different researchers and students that come together. The Institute now offers undergraduate, M.Sc. and Ph.D. studies in Biotechnology in different fields such as Food Biotechnology, Bioprocess Engineering, Biopharmaceuticals and Bioproducts.