Microbes
Microbes Discovered at USU Destroy Carcinogens
Utah State University engineers and scientists have recently discovered and identified three microorganisms (bacteria) that have the capability to destroy carcinogens and other toxic chemicals. The Biological Engineering and biology programs at USU are discovering how these bacteria transform chemicals by employing high technology microscopic processes including synchrotron radiation at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory in California. Collaboration with researchers in The Netherlands, Russia, and Poland allow students opportunity to travel and study abroad. Students at the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. levels are involved in laboratory and field research and testing. A new grant from the National Science Foundation is providing support to test the ability of these bacteria to colonize plant roots and move through the environment to contact and destroy toxic chemicals. A new grant from the U.S. DOE will allow complete sequencing of the bacterial genome of the three mycobacteria that will provide the basis for new discoveries on how these organisms thrive in the environment. Additional industrial funding is supporting the design, construction, and testing of biosensors based on bacterial DNA to identify these bacteria in locations around the world. The goal is to learn how to design and operate microbial biotechnology systems for applications to bioterrorism, treatment of contaminated water and air, and design of remediation systems for contaminated soil for sustainability.