Monitoring Laboratory of JSC "Biomedpreparat -- Engineering Center' (ML BEC)
About: The ML focuses on the resolution of environmental problems. Current ML clients include: the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and enterprises producing chemical and biological pesticides.
Goal: To provide every client with test and measurement results of high quality, meeting the required precision and thoroughly documented.
Services: Analysis of the content of microorganisms and organic and inorganic substances and in water, soil, bottom sediments, plants, and in final consumer products.
History: ML BEC was founded in 1998 in the frameworks of the Kazakhstani -- American Program on Non-proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and was initially designed for microbiological and specific control over the demolition of special facilities and the infrastructure of the biological defense enterprise JSC "Biomedpreparat".
With time, the laboratory transformed into an environmental monitoring laboratory capable to perform chemical (organic and inorganic) and microbiological monitoring of objects and territories in different regions of Kazakhstan in three different basic matrices of the environment -- water, soil and bottom sediments.
International Collaboration
The laboratory participates in a number of ISTC projects on environmental monitoring, including the remediation of the environment contaminated with heavy metals and durable chemical pesticides (K-756, K-487, K-750).A new project has recently been submitted to the ISTC that proposes to isolate oil hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms from oil-contaminated soils in the Atyrau oil extracting region (Kazakhstan).
Laboratory facilities
The laboratory currently has the equipment necessary to monitor contamination caused by chlorophosphoro-organic pesticides, PCBs, heavy metals, industrial strains producing biologically active substances (BAS), biopesticides, and other contaminants. This equipment includes: HPLC, GC, ECD/FID, AAS, UV/Vis spectrometry, PCR, equipment for realization of different specific reactions, and equipment for sample preparation and extraction of target chemicals from water and solid samples. In addition, in conjunction with a proposed ISTC project on analysis of oil contamination of the Ural River near the city of Atyrau, the laboratory plans to procure a GC/MS complete with a paraphrase sample injection system.
All measuring equipment of the laboratory has received metrological certification from the RK State Standardization Agency and complies with GLP requirements.
The laboratory has gone through the accreditation formalities for certification in the sphere of environmental studies for compliance with RK State Standard ISO 17025. In the frameworks of the ISTC project K-338, the laboratory is to receive international accreditation in ISO 17025 (A2L2) by the end of the year 2004.
ML BEC does not possess its own vivarium, but some of laboratory personnel have experience with laboratory animals, including working with dangerous diseases.
The laboratory is complete with 10 computer stations which are in essence the management and data processing systems.
JSC "Biomedpreparat -- Engineering Center" and Monitoring Laboratory are seeking contacts with industrial enterprises, producers of high-tech biotechnological products (industry, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, etc.), as well as with the companies developing modern analytical equipment and methods of environmental studies.
Annex 1
K-338 Project
Full title: Analysis of Ecological Conditions in
Regions of Intensive Industrial Biotechnological and Chemical Manufacture and
at Pesticides’ Disposal Sites.
Primary Investigating Institution: National Center for Biotechnology of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Time frames: from April, 2000 to June, 2004
Project manager: Kalmykov E.L.
Monitoring Laboratory major tasks:
- to create a modern environmental laboratory;
- to train the personnel;
- to procure additional equipment;
- to introduce a quality control system complying with ISO 17000;
- to acquire domestic accreditation in the sphere of environmental monitoring;
- to acquire international recognition as an environmental laboratory.
The achieved results:
- the laboratory is equipped with modern equipment, reagents and supplies;
- new laboratory and store premises have been constructed;
- the laboratory personnel has been retrained in the USA;
- environmental studies were carried out in industrial area of the town of Stepnogorsk and in the region of lakes in Kokshetau -- Borovoye territory;
- foreign equipment have been certified and its metrological attestation completed.
K-444 Project
Full title: Development of Modern Technology of Efficient Agrometrological Control of Water Supply of Spring Wheat and Prognosis of Its Crop Capacity, Vulnerability to Diseases and Recommendations in Agromachinery and Plant Protection over Kazakhstan.
Primary Investigating Institution: State Enterprise "Kazhydromet".
Time frames: from March, 2002 to March, 2005
Project manager: Lebed L.V.
Project submanager: Kosinov A.N.
Monitoring Laboratory major tasks:
- to develop a system of biopesticides monitoring applied to fight wheat diseases;
- to carry out field tests of the system in conditions of biopesticides application.
K-487 Project
Full title: Cellular Selection of Promissing Plants for Phytoremediation at Protection against and Removal of Contamination by Heavy Metals
Primary Investigating Institution: State Enterprise "Institute of Physiology, Bioengineering and Genetics of Plants."
Time frames: from November, 2002 to November, 2004
Project manager: Sersembayev K.A.
Project submanager: Tulemisova K.A.
Monitoring Laboratory major tasks:
- to carry out regularly analyses of samples of plant tissues and soil rendered by IPBGP for contamination with heavy metals;
- to carry out the work according to the Sample and Analysis Plan.
K-750 Project
Full title: Selection of Promising Plans for Bioremediation of Soils Contaminated with Pesticides
Primary Investigating Institution: State Enterprise "Institute of Physiology, Bioengineering and Genetics of Plants.
Time frames: from October, 2002 to December, 2004
Project manager: Nurzhanova A.V.
Project submanager: Kalmykov E.L.
Monitoring Laboratory major tasks:
- to carry out regularly analyses of samples of plant tissues and soil rendered by IPBGP for contamination with pesticides;
- to carry out the work according to the Sample and Analysis Plan;
- to carry out on-site searches in the regions of pesticides’ disposal of promising plants for further selection and application in bioremediation.
K-790 Project
Full title: Identification and Isolation of Natural Products for Kazakhstani Agriculture
Primary Investigating Institution" State Enterprise "Institute of Physiology, Bioengineering and Genetics of Plants."
Time frames: from January, 2002 to January, 2005
Project manager: Mamonov L.K.
Project submanager: Kalmykov E.L.
Monitoring Laboratory major tasks:
- to carry out extraction of BAS from plant raw stuff rendered by IPBGP according to the scheme provided by American partners;
- to carry out analysis of acquired extracts for antimicrobial antifungal activity;
- to identify and isolate active components.
K-756 Project
Full title: Development of Bioremediation Technology for Ground Waters of Northern
Kazakhstan from Mercury
Primary Investigating Institution: State Enterprise "Institute of Microbiology and
Virology."
Time frames: from December, 2002 to December, 2004
Project manager: Abdrashitova S.A.
Project submanager: Kalmykov E.L.
Monitoring Laboratory major tasks:
- to carry out regularly analyses of samples of water and microorganisms rendered by IMV for contamination with mercury;
- to carry out the work according to the Sample and Analysis Plan;
- to carry out monitoring of ground waters in the vicinity of CHEMPROM for mercury contamination;
- to carry out microbiological studies on selection of mercury resistant microorganisms.
Annex III
The List of Leading Personnel of Monitoring Laboratory and Their Qualification Training
| Name | Certificate |
| Ponomarenko Aleksandr Stepanovich, Sampling Group Leader |
|
| Kolysheva Olga Ivanovna, Organic Analysis Group Leader |
|
| Kravchenko Elena Vladimirovna, Inorganic Analysis Group Leader |
|
| Zolotova Nadezhda Vladimirovna, Quality Control Officer (GLP control) |
|
| Kosinov Aleksandr Nikolayevich, Leading Officer |
|