Engineers reverse E. coli metabolism for quick production of fuels, chemicals
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 - 13:30
in Physics & Chemistry
In a biotechnological tour de force, engineering researchers have now unveiled a new method for converting simple glucose into biofuels and petrochemical substitutes that is up to 10 times faster than previously reported methods. Researchers have reversed one of the most efficient of all metabolic pathways -- the beta oxidation cycle -- to engineer bacteria that make biofuel at a breakneck pace.