{"id":79081,"date":"2019-04-20T14:11:01","date_gmt":"2019-04-20T19:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=79081"},"modified":"2019-04-20T14:18:25","modified_gmt":"2019-04-20T19:18:25","slug":"scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists explore using bacteria as building blocks for alternative fuels"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>Researchers at Northwestern University&#8217;s Jewett Lab use E. coli and other strains to innovate new renewable compounds<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>By Valerie Nikolas<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Medill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"dropcap\">At Northwestern University\u2019s Jewett Lab in the Center for Synthetic Biology, researchers aim to create sustainable chemicals and materials out of existing organic compounds. Using cell-free metabolic engineering, they isolate the structural components from existing organisms, such as E. coli, and manipulate them to create new compounds. These types of reactions are called \u201ccell-free\u201d because they occur outside the confines of a cell.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe focus on E. coli because it is super well-studied,\u201d said Ashty Karim, research fellow and assistant scientific director at the Jewett Lab. \u201cWe know a lot about how it functions and how to manipulate it to do our engineering objectives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The lab\u2019s engineering objectives are to create sustainable and renewable chemicals that can be used for biofuels and in manufacturing.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<div class=\"wpmf-gallerys wpmf-gallerys-life\"><div id=\"gallery-1\" class=\"gallery gallery_life wpmf_gallery_default gallery_default none gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail gallery-link-post wpmf-has-border-radius-0 wpmf-gutterwidth-5 no_ratio\"><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"0\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Ashty-Karim-1-1024x682.jpg\" title=\"Ashty Karim 1\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"0\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"Ashty Karim 1\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Ashty-Karim-1-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Ashty-Karim-1-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Ashty Karim, research fellow and assistant scientific director at the Jewett Lab. Karim develops cell-free systems for prototyping biosynthetic pathways to discover natural products such as sustainable biofuels. (Valerie Nikolas\/MEDILL REPORTS)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"1\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Ashty-Karim-2-1024x682.jpg\" title=\"Ashty Karim 2\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"1\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"Ashty Karim 2\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Ashty-Karim-2-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Ashty-Karim-2-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">The lab\u2019s back room is filled with freezers set to -80 degrees Celsius. This is where the researchers keep cryogenically frozen bacteria samples. (Valerie Nikolas\/MEDILL REPORTS)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"2\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Ashty-Karim-3-1024x682.jpg\" title=\"Ashty Karim 3\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"2\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"Ashty Karim 3\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Ashty-Karim-3-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Ashty-Karim-3-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Ashty Karim takes a sample of E. coli from one of the freezers in the back room. Before placing samples in the freezers, researchers flash freeze them with liquid nitrogen, which cryogenically preserves the bacteria and prevents them from dying at such low temperatures. (Valerie Nikolas\/MEDILL REPORTS)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"3\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Karim-4-1024x682.jpg\" title=\"Karim 4\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"Karim 4\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Karim-4-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Karim-4-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Ashty Karim holds up a plate used with the lab\u2019s Echo Liquid Handler. The Echo is a robotic machine that pipettes liquid chemicals and lysates. It uses acoustic waves to move liquids from one plate, such as the one Karim is holding, to another plate. By sending energy waves through the liquid, the Echo machine makes the liquids move, form droplets, and then transfer from one plate to another. This form of pipetting is not only more precise and efficient than doing it by hand, it also eliminates waste from plastic pipettes. (Valerie Nikolas\/MEDILL REPORTS)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"4\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Karim-5-1024x682.jpg\" title=\"Karim 5\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"4\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"Karim 5\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Karim-5-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Karim-5-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Karim (right) with postdoctoral associate Markus Jeschek making E. coli extracts. After centrifuging an E. coli culture down to form a pellet and removing all of the liquid media, they transfer a wash buffer containing salts onto the E. coli cell pellets. After that they resuspend and mix the solution to wash the cells, getting them ready to be broken open to make extracts. (Valerie Nikolas\/MEDILL REPORTS)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"5\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/2.-Cabezas-1-1024x682.jpg\" title=\"Cabezas 1\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"5\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"Cabezas 1\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/2.-Cabezas-1-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/2.-Cabezas-1-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Postdoctoral associate Maria Cabezas began working at the Jewett Lab in July 2018. Cabezas uses high-throughput technologies for engineering biology using cell-free systems. (Valerie Nikolas\/MEDILL REPORTS)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"6\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/2.-Cabezas-2--1024x839.jpg\" title=\"Cabezas 2\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"6\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"Cabezas 2\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/2.-Cabezas-2--150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/2.-Cabezas-2--150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Maria Cabezas sets up reactions for a cell-free protein system in a Vibrio bacteria strain. (Valerie Nikolas\/MEDILL REPORTS)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"7\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/3.-Bastian-V\u00f6geli-1-1024x682.jpg\" title=\"Bastian V\u00f6geli 1\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"7\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"Bastian V\u00f6geli 1\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/3.-Bastian-V\u00f6geli-1-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/3.-Bastian-V\u00f6geli-1-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Postdoctoral associate Bastian V\u00f6geli joined the Jewett Lab just two months ago, after arriving from Switzerland. V\u00f6geli\u2019s research focuses on creating compounds such as decanol that can be used as alternative fuel sources. \u201cWe take E. coli, we lyse them \u2013 basically just take their guts, their innards \u2013 and let them make different single enzymes,\u201d V\u00f6geli says. Then he feeds sugars to the enzymes to make different types of fatty acids that serve as the building blocks for fuel. (Valerie Nikolas\/MEDILL REPORTS)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"8\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/3.-Bastian-V\u00f6geli-2-1024x682.jpg\" title=\"Bastian V\u00f6geli 2\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"8\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"Bastian V\u00f6geli 2\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/3.-Bastian-V\u00f6geli-2-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/3.-Bastian-V\u00f6geli-2-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">V\u00f6geli adding a sample to the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) machine, which researchers use to determine which molecules are present in mixtures. \u201cDepending on what molecules are in there, it changes how the light passes through,\u201d says V\u00f6geli. The HPLC separates compounds by chromatography. \u201cBasically, it\u2019s a glorified pump,\u201d V\u00f6geli says. The HPLC mixes chemicals with solvents, such as water, methanol or sulfuric acid. As the samples cycle through the machine they separate and the HPLC gives a measure of how much light is shining through the liquid. Measuring the amount of light can help researchers determine which molecules are present in the sample. (Valerie Nikolas\/MEDILL REPORTS)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"9\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/3.-Bastian-V\u00f6geli-3-1024x682.jpg\" title=\"Bastian V\u00f6geli 3\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"9\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"Bastian V\u00f6geli 3\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/3.-Bastian-V\u00f6geli-3-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/3.-Bastian-V\u00f6geli-3-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Researchers also take measurements using the gas chromatographer. The wire pictured is a 30-meter column that\u2019s as thin as a capillary. As molecules travel through the column they are separated, thus giving researchers a better indication of which molecules are present in a mixture. (Valerie Nikolas\/MEDILL REPORTS)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"10\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/4.-Lauren-Clark-1-1024x741.jpg\" title=\"Lauren Clark 1\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"10\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"Lauren Clark 1\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/4.-Lauren-Clark-1-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/4.-Lauren-Clark-1-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Lab manager Lauren Clark isolates plasma DNA from E. coli. Clark has worked in the Jewett lab for more than five years. (Valerie Nikolas\/MEDILL REPORTS)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"11\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/4.-Lauren-Clark-2-1024x682.jpg\" title=\"Lauren Clark 2\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"11\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"Lauren Clark 2\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/4.-Lauren-Clark-2-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/4.-Lauren-Clark-2-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Clark waters the tobacco plants she uses to study chloroplasts. Tobacco plants are optimal for this type of research since they yield lots of leaves. \u201cMy samples are very much reduced in volume,\u201d Clark says. \u201cFor every 300 grams of leaves, I might get three grams of chloroplasts.\u201d To isolate the chloroplasts, Lauren rips open the leaves and puts them in a blender, which frees the chloroplasts. She strains the paste and then places it through a centrifuge, which separates out intact chloroplasts. The result produces cell free chloroplasts that Clark can use to study. (Valerie Nikolas\/MEDILL REPORTS)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"12\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/5.-Blake-Rasor-1-1024x682.jpg\" title=\"Blake Rasor 1\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"12\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"Blake Rasor 1\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/5.-Blake-Rasor-1-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/5.-Blake-Rasor-1-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Graduate student Blake Rasor uses cell-free metabolic engineering for biosynthesis. (Valerie Nikolas\/MEDILL REPORTS)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"13\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/5.-Blake-Rasor-2-1024x682.jpg\" title=\"Blake Rasor 2\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"13\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"Blake Rasor 2\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/5.-Blake-Rasor-2-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/5.-Blake-Rasor-2-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Blake Rasor sets up reactions to make acetone and butanediol from cell free lysates. Acetone and butanediol are two types of \u201ccommodity chemicals,\u201d or compounds that can be used for making fuel or as additives. Commodity chemicals can be derivatized into other compounds as well. (Valerie Nikolas\/MEDILL REPORTS)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"featurecaption\">Ashty Karim, research fellow and assistant scientific director at the Jewett Lab, holds up a sample of cryogenically frozen E. coli. (Valerie Nikolas\/MEDILL REPORTS)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Researchers at Northwestern University&#8217;s Jewett Lab use E. coli and other strains to innovate new renewable compounds By Valerie Nikolas Medill Reports At Northwestern University\u2019s Jewett Lab in the Center for Synthetic Biology, researchers aim to create sustainable chemicals and materials out of existing organic compounds. Using cell-free metabolic engineering, they isolate the structural components [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":512,"featured_media":79085,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,29,30,4741],"tags":[4745,4628,4746,192,4459,4744],"class_list":["post-79081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-interest","category-health-and-science","category-public-affairs","category-spring-2019","tag-alternative-fuel","tag-photo-essay","tag-photos","tag-promo","tag-renewable-energy","tag-synthetic-biology"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Scientists explore using bacteria as building blocks for alternative fuels - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Scientists explore using bacteria as building blocks for alternative fuels - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Researchers at Northwestern University&#8217;s Jewett Lab use E. coli and other strains to innovate new renewable compounds By Valerie Nikolas Medill Reports At Northwestern University\u2019s Jewett Lab in the Center for Synthetic Biology, researchers aim to create sustainable chemicals and materials out of existing organic compounds. Using cell-free metabolic engineering, they isolate the structural components [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-04-20T19:11:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-04-20T19:18:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Ashty-Karim-3.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1100\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"733\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"valerienikolas2019\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"valerienikolas2019\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/\",\"name\":\"Scientists explore using bacteria as building blocks for alternative fuels - Medill Reports Chicago\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Ashty-Karim-3.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-04-20T19:11:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-04-20T19:18:25+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/20c2435babfcc0e8c7d9764a638139ec\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Ashty-Karim-3.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Ashty-Karim-3.jpg\",\"width\":1100,\"height\":733,\"caption\":\"Ashty Karim takes a sample of E. coli from one of the freezers in the back room. Before placing samples in the freezers, researchers flash freeze them with liquid nitrogen, which cryogenically preserves the bacteria and prevents them from dying at such low temperatures. (Valerie Nikolas\/MEDILL REPORTS)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Scientists explore using bacteria as building blocks for alternative fuels\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/\",\"name\":\"Medill Reports Chicago\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/20c2435babfcc0e8c7d9764a638139ec\",\"name\":\"valerienikolas2019\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9cda8a753a84c6ba93039f06815d476e31c7f9ee5ad044f7e8749cdbd660b4ce?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9cda8a753a84c6ba93039f06815d476e31c7f9ee5ad044f7e8749cdbd660b4ce?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"valerienikolas2019\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/author\/valerienikolas2019\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Scientists explore using bacteria as building blocks for alternative fuels - Medill Reports Chicago","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Scientists explore using bacteria as building blocks for alternative fuels - Medill Reports Chicago","og_description":"Researchers at Northwestern University&#8217;s Jewett Lab use E. coli and other strains to innovate new renewable compounds By Valerie Nikolas Medill Reports At Northwestern University\u2019s Jewett Lab in the Center for Synthetic Biology, researchers aim to create sustainable chemicals and materials out of existing organic compounds. Using cell-free metabolic engineering, they isolate the structural components [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/","og_site_name":"Medill Reports Chicago","article_published_time":"2019-04-20T19:11:01+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-04-20T19:18:25+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1100,"height":733,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Ashty-Karim-3.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"valerienikolas2019","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"valerienikolas2019","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/","url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/","name":"Scientists explore using bacteria as building blocks for alternative fuels - Medill Reports Chicago","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Ashty-Karim-3.jpg","datePublished":"2019-04-20T19:11:01+00:00","dateModified":"2019-04-20T19:18:25+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/20c2435babfcc0e8c7d9764a638139ec"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Ashty-Karim-3.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/1.-Ashty-Karim-3.jpg","width":1100,"height":733,"caption":"Ashty Karim takes a sample of E. coli from one of the freezers in the back room. Before placing samples in the freezers, researchers flash freeze them with liquid nitrogen, which cryogenically preserves the bacteria and prevents them from dying at such low temperatures. (Valerie Nikolas\/MEDILL REPORTS)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/scientists-explore-using-bacteria-as-a-building-block-for-alternative-fuels\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Scientists explore using bacteria as building blocks for alternative fuels"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#website","url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/","name":"Medill Reports Chicago","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/20c2435babfcc0e8c7d9764a638139ec","name":"valerienikolas2019","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9cda8a753a84c6ba93039f06815d476e31c7f9ee5ad044f7e8749cdbd660b4ce?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9cda8a753a84c6ba93039f06815d476e31c7f9ee5ad044f7e8749cdbd660b4ce?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"valerienikolas2019"},"url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/author\/valerienikolas2019\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/512"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79081\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}