Blood pressure monitors are a common at-home tool for monitoring heart health, but they don’t look at the health of the endothelium, the lining of the blood vessels. And endothelial function is a powerful predictor of heart attack and stroke. Berkeley Lab has developed a technology using cuffs, like those used for taking blood pressure, to monitor both endothelial function and endothelium-independent vasodilation. Studies on human subjects have verified that the cuff-based method is more sensitive and costs a fraction of the current method.
JGI Helps Uncover Novel Chemicals from an Unexpected Source: Gut Fungi
Anaerobic fungi, which die in the presence of oxygen, thrive in herbivore guts and help them digest their host’s last leafy meal. In their evolutionary history, these fungi branched off early from aerobic fungi, which can breathe oxygen — just like we do. Oxygen is a rich source of energy, and because anaerobic fungi can’t harness it, scientists long held that these fungi don’t have the energy to make complex compounds called natural products. Yet, analyzing the genomes and genome products of four anaerobic fungal species has revealed that this group is unexpectedly powerful: they can whip up dozens of complex natural products, including new ones. The work was partly enabled by the “Facilities Integrating Collaborations for User Science” (FICUS) collaborative science initiative between the JGI and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory. Read the full science highlight on the JGI website.
ABPDU Launches 3D Virtual Tour
The Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit (ABPDU) launched a 3D virtual tour that allows anyone to tour the facility from home. The space can be accessed with a computer, phone, or in virtual reality with a VR viewer.
The ABPDU is a 15,000 square foot facility that enables the development of early stage advanced biofuels and bioproducts. The facility houses state-of-the-art bioprocessing equipment that collaborators from industry and academia can use to scale up their products.
The Future Looks Bright for Infinitely Recyclable Plastic
The average person in the U.S. generates about 100 kg of plastic waste per year, most of which goes straight to a landfill. A team led by the Joint BioEnergy Institute’s (JBEI) Corinne Scown and Jay Keasling and the Molecular Foundry’s Brett Helms and Kristin Persson set out to change that. Less than two years ago, Helms announced the invention of poly(diketoenamine), or PDK, a material that has all the convenient properties of traditional plastics while avoiding the environmental pitfalls. Now, collaborating with researchers from JBEI and Biosciences, the team has released a study that shows what can be accomplished if manufacturers began using PDKs on a large scale.
Earth Day 2021: Bioproducts Research Highlights
Every day the average person encounters tens, if not hundreds, of items that are made from petroleum and petroleum-based components. From the keyboard this article was typed with, to our daily grooming products and their containers, and the textiles we wear – petroleum products are everywhere: be it plastics, fragrances, dyes, or additives. Not only is petroleum in limited supply, the refining and production processes can cause air pollution and other environmentally unfriendly effects.
Several programs and research groups within the Biosciences area are working hard to find biologically derived components to find a sustainable and high-quality replacement for those that come from petroleum. Read on for a round-up of just some of the research we are doing to create sustainable bioproducts.
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