Advance in developing biological strategies to produce hydrogen and sequester carb...( time required to synthesize such a mic...)

In September 2002, the Department of Energy (DOE) awarded a three-year, $3 million grant to IBEA to develop a synthetic genome, as part of IBEA's efforts to use biology and genetics to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere and to produce biological energy sources that are cost-effective and efficient.

In April 2003, the Department of Energy announced it was increasing its funding to IBEA by $9 million over three years. With the new funds, IBEA scientists will determine the genetic sequences of all the micro-organisms occurring in a natural microbial community. The studies will enable scientists to discover biochemical pathways and organisms that may lead to the development of new methods for carbon sequestration or alternative energy production.

"This research is a next logical step in the efforts to understand the key elements that comprise a biological system," Secretary Abraham said. "This is a major goal of the biological research carried on by the Nation's major public and private research organizations including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy's Office of Science. The Biological and Environmental Research program office of DOE's Office of Science funds the IBEA research as part of the Genomes to Life program."

"What's more, the future applications of this research go far beyond DOE," Abraham said, noting such benefits could include the development of better vaccines and safer strategies for gene therapy; improving agricultural crop yields that are better disease resistance and improving strategies for combating agricultural diseases; and even enhancing our ability to detect and defeat p
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Contact: Jeff Sherwood
jeff.sherwood@hq.doe.gov
202-586-5806
DOE/US Department of Energy
13-Nov-2003