1/10/07 -- New article appearing in January issue of PLoS Biology

12/12/06 -- MNI, CLR, and additional algorithms available on the software page

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Engineering Microbes for a Sustainable Future

Microbes are something of a double-edged sword for humankind. They can cause debilitating or fatal infections, but they are also the source of many of the antibiotic drugs used to treat infections. In addition, the versatility of their metabolic processes, the same versatility that makes them medical pests, offers enormous potential to address urgent societal needs for sustainable energy and manufacturing technologies. For example, microbes may be used to detoxify polluted environmental areas or generate fuels for our cars and factories directly from agricultural products.

The use of microbes for sustainable technologies and the development of antibiotics to kill microbes remain a significant technical challenge. Many mysteries remain about microbial genetics and physiology. In particular a clearer understanding is needed of the complex systems of thousands of genes, proteins that allow a microbe to grow and survive. Such an understanding will enable development of novel antibiotics that overcome bacterial resistance and technologies that unlock the full catalytic potential of microbes for bioremediation and energy production.

We are developing computational and experimental tools for mapping and modeling system-wide properties of gene regulatory networks in microbes. We are using the resulting information and models to:

With these tools we will stay one step ahead (or more) of the microbes causing debilitating and fatal infections. And one day we may be powering our homes with microbes that simultaneously clean our waste. Additional information on our algorithms and research projects is provided in the research section of this website.

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