Blum

The Bioexpression and Fermentation Facility (BFF) was established in 1967 and is one of the largest fermentation pilot plants in the Southeast offering a variety of services from recombinant protein production to monoclonal antibodies.  The BFF consists of the Fermentation Research Facility, Protein Purification laboratory, Cell Culture Facility and Monoclonal Antibody Facility.  These four divisions enable the BFF to provide clients with a comprehensive array of services covering a wide range of biomanufacturing areas.  The BFF has the capability to provide expertise and training in the biotech industry from biofuels and other environmentally-friendly products to biomedical technology. 

The BFF is located at the University of Georgia, in Athens, GA, occupying approximately 9500 square feet of lab space.  The BFF has 22 bioreactors ranging from 1 L to 800 L, with centrifugation and tangential flow filtration available for all reactor sizes in addition to cell homogenization and other downstream processing capabilities. In addition, the BFF has 10 HPLCs capable of flow rates from 1 mL/min to 800 mL/min, and processing at temperatures from 4 ˚C to 80 ˚C.  There are 13 staff members with 4 PhD scientists.

In 2012, the BFF completed over 120 discrete projects for more than 45 clients.
In addition to providing services to several in-state biotech companies and academic researchers the BFF has served hundreds of clients including organizations in 37 states and six countries. The facility has a solid International reputation for providing fermentation and protein purification services. In addition, significant equipment upgrades have been funded by income from service work and government grants over the past decade to ensure we can continue to grow even more in the future.