Lecture | This Week's Discoveries
Marine bacteria hold the key to a sustainable future
- Date
- Tuesday 20 April 2021
- Time
- Location
- Zoom
During this edition of This Week’s Discoveries you will meet new tenure tracker Lennart Schada von Borzyskowski. Last March, Schada von Borzyskowski joined the IBL as an Assistant Professor.
In his presentation he will talk about the research he did at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg, Germany, which he will be continuing here in Leiden.
Marine bacteria hold the key to a sustainable future
At the Max Planck Institute we discovered and characterised a previously unknown cluster of enzymes in marine bacteria, which allows them to thrive in the oceans. This curiosity-driven research, published in Nature, has implications for the global CO2 cycle. Building on this discovery, we applied the novel biocatalysts in metabolic engineering approaches. The enzymes were introduced into biotechnologically relevant bacteria to enable more efficient degradation of the ubiquitous plastic PET. Furthermore, the same enzymes were also introduced into plants, which will enable increased photosynthesis and higher crop yields. Our work shows that research on bacterial biochemistry can yield promising new solutions to global sustainability challenges.
At 13.oo break-out rooms will be available for those who would like to continue the discussion or meet with colleagues.
Join This Week's Discoveries!
On the morning of the presentation, the Zoom meeting ID and pass code will be distributed by e-mail to all Faculty of Science staff. If you are not a staff member, please sign-up for the mailing list to get access.
Sign up
About This Week's Discoveries
Every week an inspiring research project
Prestigious grants, cum laude PhDs, new chairs: each week This Week's Discoveries revolves around one research project. In a short comprehensible presentation the research will be explained and there is room for questions and discussion.
Meet colleagues online
After the presentation and discussion there will be the opportunity to talk to colleagues in small groups. In break-out rooms you can continue the discussion, get to know colleagues you've never met before or catch up with people you haven't run into for a while.
This Week's Discoveries will take place weekly on Tuesdays from 12.30 to 13.00 in Zoom. Afterwards there is the possibility to meet each other in break-out rooms in small groups.