Biotechnology Division

[IMAGE: Close-up of a small purple plasma plume touching the surface of an agar plate inside a biosafety cabinet, with a gloved hand adjusting position]

Figure 1: Atmospheric-pressure plasma jet treating a bacterial culture on an agar plate in the Building 4 biotechnology suite. The plasma plume (He/O\u2082, approximately 5 mm in length) is visible contacting the sample surface. The treatment stage is housed in a laminar-flow enclosure.

The Biotechnology Division, led by Dr. Maria Santos, is a small programme operating at the physics–biology interface. It draws on Institute capabilities in photonics, plasma physics, and cryogenics, and does not maintain large-scale wet-lab facilities for genetic, cell-culture, or biochemical work at production scale.

Research Programmes

Plasma Sterilisation of Surgical Instruments

Evaluation of atmospheric-pressure plasma jets as a low-temperature sterilisation method for heat-sensitive surgical instruments and biomaterials. Work includes CFU assays against common nosocomial pathogens, SEM imaging of treated surfaces, and cytotoxicity testing of plasma-treated substrates. Conducted jointly with the Plasma & Thermal Sciences Division. » Programme page

Optical Trapping & Manipulation

Development of near-IR Bessel-beam optical traps for non-contact manipulation of motile microorganisms. Applications include single-cell spectroscopy and micro-rheology of biological fluids. Facilities shared with the Photonics Division in Building 1. » Programme page

THz Spectroscopy of Biomolecules

Collaborative programme with the Electromagnetic Systems Division investigating low-frequency vibrational modes of proteins and DNA using THz time-domain spectroscopy. Aimed at label-free characterisation of biomolecular conformation and hydration dynamics. » Programme page

Facilities

Facility	Specification
Plasma sterilisation suite	Building 4. Laminar-flow biosafety cabinet (Class II), incubator (37°C, CO\u2082), autoclave. Atmospheric-pressure plasma jet with He/O\u2082 and Ar feed.
Optical trapping rig	Building 1. CW Nd:YAG @ 1064 nm, Bessel beam optics, high-NA objective, CCD imaging.
Microplate reader	Absorbance/fluorescence, 96-well format, for CFU and cytotoxicity assays.
SEM with EDX	Shared facility, Building 4. Surface morphology and elemental analysis of treated samples.

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