Metabolic Valve technology
Industry: Microorganism byproducts
New metabolic valve technology developed at UGA is a means of controlling the byproducts of microorganisms, so that desired chemicals can be manufactured in greater amounts.
Existing methods don’t have the ability to alter the metabolism of microorganisms. But by restricting the flow of a metabolite called acetyl COA, the Metabolic Valve can redirect raw materials consumed to create greater yields of byproducts.
The current focus of this work is the production of citramalate, which has promise as a component of new polymers.
