BIOPOLYMERS AND BIOCATALYSTS
Area of research: Microbiology & Biotechnology
Theme: Industrial microbiology and biotechnology
SDGs covered: 3: Good Health and Well-being;SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production; SDG 13: Climate action
Faculty Members: Dr. Yasir Rehman, Dr. Iftikhar Ali, Dr. Muhammad Akram,
Description: Biocatalysts are enzymes found in different living organisms that catalyze different important reactions under normal conditions, which would otherwise require high energy input to be completed. These find various applications in different sectors such as industry and health. Production of biotechnologically important enzymes, such as amylase, lipase, protease, etc., through microorganisms can help meet the requirements of the local industry. Biopolymers are high molecular weight compounds produced by various living organisms under different conditions. Many of these biopolymers are of industrial importance such as bioplastics. Bioplastics are biodegradable polymers that resemble the petrochemical based plastics and can replace them in future. Polyhydroxyalkanoates are a class of bioplastics that find enormous applications in packaging and medical implants. However, their cost of production is very high at the moment, owing especially to the carbon source utilized in this process, and thus it is a major area of modern research.
National Collaborators: PirMehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi; National University of Medical Sciences,Islamabad; Institute of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of the Punjab, Lahore.
International Collaborators:Queen’s University, Canada
Students:
Miss Aqsa Khalid, Miss Hifza Iqbal, Miss Iqra Arshad, Miss Shanza Adnan
Relevant Publications:
1. Adham Mahmoud Mohamed Alkhadrawi; XueHaijia, Nadeem Ahmad; Muhammed Akram; Ying Wang, Chun Li. 2022. Molecular study on the role of vacuolar transporters in glycyrrhetinic acid production in engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Biochimica et alBiophysicaActa – Biomembranes. 1864(6): 183890.
2. Muhammad Akram, AamirRasool, Ting an, Xudong Feng*, Chun Li*. 2020. Metabolic engineering of Yarrowialipolytica for liquiritigenin production. Chemical Engineering Science. 230, 116177.
3. Khan, N., Ali, I., Mazhar, S., Munir, S., Batool, R., & Jamil, N. (2022). Co-Culture of Halotolerant Bacteria to Produce Poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) Using Sewage Wastewater Substrate. Polymers, 14(22), 4963.