Micro metabolically engineered

Flux balance analysis has been used for over 15 yr to study the metabolic flux distribution. Initially, the applications of FBA were primarily educational however, recently, the utility has grown. The FBA has been applied to study the effect of gene deletions, the design of bacterial metabolism for industrial and environmental applications, or for the computational exploration of cellular physiology. Metabolic engineering has been successfully applied to engineer micro-organisms to produce valuable biochemicals... 

Kern, A., TiUey, E., Hunter, I.S., Legisa, M. and GUeder, A., Engineering primary metabolic pathways of industrial micro-organisms. J. Biotechnol., 2007, 129, 6-29. 

We have also provided evidence that the behavior of microorganisms in confined micro-environment is substantially different and that their desired metabolic activities can be maximized through the modification of the surface characteristics as well as the size of the pores. These characteristics can therefore be utilized in BI as well as in the enhancement of cell penetration and cell proliferation in tissue engineering and when such polymers are grafted. Micro-fabrication technique has also been used in the development of highly porous catalysts with arterial channels feeding nano-pores which provide an extended surface area. Such materials can be used as micro-reactors as well as catalysts. 

Interest in the genetic engineering of both plants and micro-organisms for the production of tailor made amylose, amylopectin and/or starches has also been reported. Furthermore, investigations on the enzymatic modification of starch and its major components, for example the introduction of additional branches composed of glucose and/or other monosaccharides and/or uronic acids as well as amino acids or peptides, to produce carbohydrates of possibly comparable functionality to galactomannans, pectin, gum arable, etc., has been initiated. Also studies on the metabolic fate of carbohydrates in food, the biosynthesis of starch, the fine structure of starch from different sources, the effect of electrolytes on the gelatinization of starch and the development of enzymic methods for starch analyses are still active. 

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