RESEARCH
CURRENT PROJECTS:
Studies of Clostridium acetobutylicum involve metabolic engineering and regulation of solvent and chemical production, and analysis of clostridial proteins and genetics. The involvement of C. acetobutylicum and related organisms in biodegradation of hazardous substances is also studied.
Studies of Escherichia coli are devoted to metabolic engineering of production of succinate, esters such as isoamyl acetate, ethanol, and the investigation of genetic means for acetate reduction and production of acetoin. Analysis of the regulation of the transition between aerobic and anaerobic growth can lead to new ways to optimize and model microbial processes. Another facet of work involves metabolic engineering through cofactor manipulation.