RAKERA infrastructure

The research infrastructure on experimental studies and applications of cellular processes, RAKERA, consolidates Estonian expertise in the field of cell and molecular biology and develops a shared instrumental complex for the University of Tartu, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn University, the Estonian University of Life Sciences, and the National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics. The goal of this infrastructure is to advance scientific competence and services in the field of applied microbial processes as well as in biomedicine-related processes in mammalian cells. The infrastructure will establish a central hub focusing on expertise and services on fundamental research and applications of cellular processes. It aims to be a key partner for drug candidate developers, medical institutions, as well as private and public sector organizations working in health biotechnology and environmental fields. Through its activities, the infrastructure ensures the education of researchers in the field and in the longer term, contributes to the creation of science-intensive jobs and the promotion of a smart, environmentally sustainable economy in Estonia.

The vision of the infrastructure is to consolidate the existing expertise on cell processes and their applications in biotechnology and biomedicine from various universities and research institutions in Estonia. In collaboration with partner companies and institutions, fundamental research will be enhanced, and expertise and services will be developed in the following areas:

• In the field of microbial process applications with a special focus on synthetic biology, the design, construction, and optimization of microbial cell factories, their application in assessing and eliminating environmental pollution, the activity of bioactive compounds, the identification of microbial pathogens, and the expansion of local microbial collections.
• In the processes occurring in human cells, with a primary focus on cell energetics and metabolism, cell processes that enhance the organism’s immune response, processes in single cells, and the development of nucleic acid-based drug delivery systems and gene expression systems.