To harness and use microbial processes however, they must be understood in far greater detail and in the context of living systems. GTL's goal is to understand how the static information in the DNA of microbial genomes drives the integrated, intricate and dynamic processes of life. To achieve this level of understanding requires moving beyond explorations of single genes and proteins to a systems-wide approach. These studies demand explorations of microbes at the molecular, whole cell and community levels.
New instruments and advanced computational methods will be required for this research. Genome sequences can furnish the blueprints, advanced technologies can produce the data and computing can relate enormous data sets to models linking genome sequence to biological processes and function and move researchers closer to practical applications.
The GTL research program has three phases. In the first phase, key proof of principle experiments on complex energy and environmental systems will be performed and new technologies and computing techniques will be developed, used for science and scaled up in user research facilities. In the second phase, the high throughput tools and capabilities will be applied to rapidly understanding biological processes, developing concepts for industrial application to energy and environmental problems and to understand the interactions between global biological processes and climat
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Contact: Jeff Sherwood
jeff.sherwood@hq.doe.gov
202-586-4826
DOE/US Department of Energy
3-Oct-2005