Marc Aucoin

Professor, Chemical Engineering

Research interests: synthetic biology; virus based systems as novel nanobiomaterials; complex biologies

Biography

Professor Marc Aucoin is an expert in the area of Biochemical Engineering, in particular biological nano-particles (Virus-Like Particles or VLPs, Virus Vectors) with particular interest in the genetic control of the assembly and composition of these particles.

Education

  • PhD, Université de Montréal (École Polytechnique)
  • MASc, University of Waterloo
  • BASc, University of Waterloo

Marc Aucoin

Research

Baculovirus Bioprocessing

We are currently actively pursuing different ways of characterizing and manipulating baculovioruses to enhance their use as vectors. Is there a need? We believe so. That is also why we are actively participating in the discussions on the development of a standard reference material for baculoviruses.

Biologic Production in Insect Cells using Baculovirus Expression Vectors

One of our biggestveins of this research is to try and gain a better understanding of competition between vectors when multiple vectors are used to produce a single product. How best to look at this problem? We are devsing means based on synthetic biology to help us address some of these issues...

Cell Culture Monitoring, Modeling and Simulation

We are at a point where we can collect huge amounts of data for our processes but do we use it to it's full advantage? The answer to this is that even though we can amass a lot of information for our cultures we still do not know what to do with it. We are very interrested in this aspect.

Monoclonal Antibody Production and Modification

A billion dollar industry that is based on a therapeutic molecule that is inherently a population of molecules with different glycosylation patterns. Can we create processes that will enhance the monodispersity of the product? This is what we are trying to do.

Publications

Recent publications include:

  • Srirangan K, Akawi L, Liu XJ, Westbrook A, Blondeel EJM, Aucoin MG, Moo-Young M, Chou CP, Manipulating the sleeping beauty mutase operon for the production of 1-propanol in engineered Escherichia coli, Biotechnology for Biofuels. 6(139), 2013

  • Nicastro J, Sheldon K, El-zarkout F, Sokolenko S, Aucoin MG, Slavcev R, Construction and analysis of a genetically tuneable lytic phage display system, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 97(17), 2013, 7791-7804

  • Sokolenko S, McKay R, Blondeel EJM, Lewis MJ, Chang D, George B, Aucoin MG, Understanding the variability of compound quantification from targeted profiling metabolomics of 1D-H-1-NMR spectra in synthetic mixtures and urine with additional insights on choice of pulse sequences and robotic sampling, Metabolomics, 9(4), 2013, 887-903

  • Sokolenko S, Nicastro J, Slavcev R, Aucoin MG, Graphical analysis of flow cytometer data for characterizing controlled fluorescent protein display on λ phage. Cytometry Part A, 83A(6), 2013, 592 

  • Thompson CM, Petiot E, Aucoin MG, Henry O, Kamen AA, Developing a production process for influenza VLPs: a comparison between HEK 293SF and Sf9 production platforms,BMC Proceedings, 7(6), 2013

  • George S, Sokolenko S, Aucoin MG, Rapid and Cost-Effective Baculovirus Sample Preparation Method as a Viable Alternative to Conventional Preparation for Real Time PCR, Journal of Virological Methods. 182(1–2), 2012, 27–36

  • Sokolenko S, George S, Wagner A, Tuladhar A, Andrich JMS, and Aucoin MG, Co-expression vs co-infection using baculovirus expression vectors in insect cell culture: benefits and drawbacks. Biotechnology Advances 30(3), 2012, 766–781

  • Kamen AA, Aucoin MG, Merten OW, Alves P, Hashimoto Y, Airenne K, Hu YC, Mezzina M, van Oers MM, An initiative to manufacture and characterize baculovirus reference material., Journal of invertebrate pathology 107, 2011, S113-7, 2011

  • Transfiguracion J, Mena, Aucoin MG, Kamen AA,Quantification and Validation of Baculovirus Particles using HPLC, Journal of Chromatography B. 879(1), 2011, 61-68
  • Sokolenko S, Cheng Y-L, Aucoin MG, Getting more from cell size distributions: establishing more accurate biovolumes by estimating viable cell populations, Biotechnology Progress. 26(6), 2010, 1787-1795.
  • Aucoin MG,  Mena Y, Kamen AA, Bioprocessing of baculovirus vectors: A review, Current Gene Therapy, 10(3), 2010, 174-186
  • Mena JA, Aucoin MG, Montes J, Chahal PS, Kamen AA, Improving Adeno-Associated Vector Yield In High Density Insect Cell Cultures, Journal of Gene Medicine, 12(2), 2010, 157-167
  • Aucoin MG, Jolicoeur M, Is there room in the graduate curriculum to learn how to be a graduate student? An approach using a graduate-level biochemical engineering course, Chemical Engineering Education, 43(4), 2009, 306-312
  • Aucoin MG, Perrier M, Kamen AA, Critical assessment of current adeno-associated viral vector production and quantification methods, Biotechnology Advances, 26(1), 2008, 73 - 88
  • Aucoin MG, Perrier M, Kamen AA, Improving AAV vector yield in insect cells by modulating the temperature after infection, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 97(6), 2007, 1501 – 1509
  • Chahal PS, Aucoin MG, Kamen AA, Primary recovery and chromatographic purification of adeno-associated virus type 2 produced by baculovirus/insect cell system, Journal of Virological Methods, 139(1), 2007, 61 - 70
  • Aucoin MG, McMurray-Beaulieu V, Poulin F, Boivin EB, Chen JK, Ardelean FM, Cloutier M, Choi YJ, Miguez CB, Jolicoeur M,Identifying conditions for inducible protein production in E. coli: combining a fed-batch and multiple induction approach, Microbial Cell Factories, 5(27), 2006
  • Aucoin MG, Perrier M, Kamen AA, Production of adeno-associated viral vectors in insect cells using triple infection: Optimization of baculovirus concentration ratios, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 95(6), 2006, 1081 - 1092
  • Meghrous J, Aucoin MG, Jacob D, Chahal PS, Arcand N, Kamen AA, Production of recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors using a baculovirus/insect cell suspension culture system: From shake flasks to a 20-L bioreactor, Biotechnology Progress, 21(1), 2005, 154 - 160
  • Aucoin MG, Erhardt FA, Legge RL, Hyperactivation of Rhizomucor miehei lipase by hydrophobic xerogels, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 85(6), 2004, 647 - 655
  • Aucoin MG, Legge RL, Effects of supercritical CO2 exposure and depressurization on immobilized lipase activity, Biotechnology Letters, 23(22), 2001, 1863 - 1870

Please see Marc Aucoin's Google Scholar profile for a current list of his peer-reviewed articles.

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