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Dr. George Bennett

Microbial Production of Chemicals

The project involves the production of flavor compounds in bacteria through the genetic engineering of metabolic pathways. Genes are identified from genomic databases and are obtained from various organisms. Placement, expression and control of the genes in E. coli can allow diversion of metabolic pathways to form flavor compounds such as esters and other compounds. Studies of a theoretical or experimental nature can be done on these systems.

Developing Methods for Forming and Assembling DNA Fragments

This project is related to constructing optimal strains for industrial production of various chemical compounds. The student will help in developing methods for forming and assembling DNA fragments. This work involves amplifying DNA segments and using appropriate enzymes or recombination proteins to join them in specific ways to generate a designed arrangement for functional tests.

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