Jul 30, 2020
Microbes perform functions from
digesting our food to cycling elements in the environment.
Aindrila Mukhopadhyay works to
unpack some of their huge potential in her work.
She explains to listeners
- The variety of microbe roles, from biofilms that hold the desert down to carbon-eating strains of microbial life;
- How types of membrane transport and signaling lead to various lab modifications for effective studies; and
- Examples of lab discoveries, including a fungus-bacteria combination that produces sustainable dyes.
Aindrila Mukhopadhyay is a
Biological Engineer Senior Scientist at Berkeley Lab. She studies
types of membrane transport and stress response in microbiology,
specifically
bacterial stress response.
She helps listeners understand her field by describing the
capability of microbes, including their ability to
make compounds and products that
are valuable and can address some of the biggest challenges facing
us. She offers some fascinating examples such as
Pseudomonas
putida KT2440,
which can eat carbon sources that other microbes have difficulty
eating.
She also explains how she works
with these organisms in a lab setting, describing plasmid transport
and utilizing stress responses in microbiology to allow cells to
take in media. She also discusses how her work implements
engineering strategies and how that dictates which organisms she
may use. For example, she stays away from organisms with a
bacterial stress response of spore production because
manufacturing necessitates predictable and stable organism.
Finally, she gives examples of current projects as part of her work
with the Bioenergy Research Center funded by the Department of
Energy. She leads a group that studies organisms that produce
biofuels and other bio products.
For examples of her work, google
her name for a list of publications and see her institution web
site: biosciences.lbl.gov/profiles/aindrila-mukhopadhyay.
Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK