Brief description not available

Brief description not available

Invention of a new platform for creating active supramolecular materials using electrical energy as the fuel.

Researchers at UC Irvine have developed a new method to 3D-print free-form silica glass materials which produces products with unparalleled purity, optical clarity, and mechanical strength under far milder conditions than currently available techniques. The novel processing method has potential to radically transform microsystem technology by enabling development of silica-based microsystems.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a method for preparing a glycan product containing a nonulosonic acid moiety by means of legionaminic acid transferase fusion proteins

 Professors Richard Schrock and Matthew Conley from the University of California, Riverside have developed new W and Mo based alkylidene olefin metathesis catalysts that can be produced by activation of metathesis-inactive precursors, accessible from metal chloride precursors via as few as three synthetic steps, using visible light. 𝛃,𝛃'disubstituted tungsten cyclopentane complexes can be prepared in the dark and form alkylidenes through irradiation. This technology is advantageous because it can potentially regenerate used catalysts by irradiation with visible light, offering a sustainable and cost-effective approach for industrial and research applications.  Fig 1: Synthetic scheme of alkylidenes from tungstacyclopentane complexes upon exposure to violet or blue light (405-445 nm).  A number of tungstacyclopentanes have been prepared from W(NR)OR’)2Cl2 complexes through alkylation and reduction with diethylzinc in the presence of an olefin.   

Lipoxygenases (LOX) are enzymes that catalyze the peroxidation of certain fatty acids. The cell membrane is mostly made of lipids (which include fatty acids), and peroxidation can cause damage to the cell membrane. The human genome contains six functional LOX genes that encode for six LOX enzyme variants, or isozymes. The role that each LOX isozyme plays in health and disease varies greatly, spanning issues such as asthma, diabetes, and stroke. LOX enzymes are extremely difficult to target due to high hydrophobicity. Potential leads are often ineffective because they are either not readily soluble or not selective for a particular LOX enzyme.  Studies have implicated human epithelial 15-lipoxygenase-2 (h15-LOX-2, ALOX15B) in various diseases. h15-LOX-2 is highly expressed in atherosclerotic plaques and is linked to the progression of macrophages to foam cells, which are present in atherosclerotic plaques. h15-LOX-2 mRNA levels are also highly elevated in human macrophages isolated from carotid atherosclerotic lesions in symptomatic patients. Children with cystic fibrosis had reduced levels of h15-LOX-2, which affects the lipoxin A4 to leukotriene B4 ratio. Furthermore, the interactions of h15-LOX-2 and PEBP1 changes the substrate specificity of h15-LOX-2 from free polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to PUFA-phosphatidylethanolamines (PE), leading to the generation of hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HpETE) esterified into PE (HpETE-PE). Accumulation of these hydroperoxyl membrane phospholipids has been shown to cause ferroptotic cell death, which implicates h15-LOX-2 in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases.  

Brief description not available

Brief description not available

Brief description not available

The present invention describes a novel method for acid-free pyrolytic synthesis of metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) catalysts for use in fuel cell/energy conversion applications. This method allows for rapid production of M-N-C catalysts that exhibit high activity and selectivity for CO2 electroreduction without needing harsh acids or bases.

Brief description not available

Prof. Juchen Guo and his research team have discovered novel methods that use a liquid reagent to extract close to 100% of the metals lithium (Li), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni) and manganese (Mn) from LiCoO2 (LCO) and LiNixMnyCo(1-x-y)O2 (NMC) cathodes, efficiently. This low cost process is easy to implement, scale up, low cost and is environmentally friendly.

Rhamnolipids (RLs) are a class of bacterially produced biosurfactants that possess antimicrobial as well as surface-active properties. While RLs have broad utility in industry as antimicrobial biosurfactants, their anionic nature limits the efficacy of these molecules in certain applications. Alternatively, rhamnolipid esters (RLEs) exhibit improved properties as nonionic surfactants. However, a major challenge in RLE application in the commercial arena is that, to date, they are only reliably accessed via chemical synthesis, a costly and unsustainable approach.To address this problem, UC Berkeley researchers have developed a novel, reliable microbial source for biosynthesized RLEs enabling their production in an efficient, sustainable, and renewable manner. Additionally, three novel rhamnolipid methyl ester (RLME) congeners have been produced and a new enzyme for RLE production identified. The produced RLEs are expected to be more effective than RLs in many ways, including antifungal activity and hydrocarbon solubilization.

Plastics are essential for the modern world but are also non-sustainable products of the petrochemical industry that negatively impact our health, environment, and food chain. Natural biogenic plastics, such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), are readily biodegradable, can be produced more sustainably, and offer an attractive alternative. The global demand for bioplastics is increasing with the 2019 market value of $8.3B expected to reach a compound annual growth rate of 16.1% from 2020-2027 (https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/bioplastics-industry). However, current PHA production is constrained by the underlying physiology of the microorganisms which produce them, meaning bioplastic production is currently limited to inefficient, batch fermentation processes that are difficult to scale.To address this problem, UC Berkeley researchers have developed a new system for PHA production wherein the PHA are generated continuously throughout microorganism growth lifecycles. The invention allows these sustainable bioplastics to be produced via precision continuous fermentation technology, a scalable and efficient approach.

BACKGROUND: Triacetic acid lactone (TAL) is an important building block for a diverse set of chemicals and plastic polymers. Native pathways using microbes can serve as an environmentally-friendly and renewable source of TAL production. However, microbial production of TAL is limited to a few platform microbes. Further, native pathways using platform microbes such as E. coli show toxicity to TAL, which reduces its production. Therefore, there is a need for thiolases that provide higher yield and can be used in additional microorganisms. TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW: Researchers at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have discovered novel thiolases for production of Triacetic acid lactone (TAL) via platform microorganisms. The discovered thiolases achieved production of 2.77 g/L of TAL when expressed in E. coli, which is the highest titer production reported using E. coli. The discovered thiolases were identified from homologs of Cupriavidus necator, and their TAL production was verified by in vitro and in vivo testing. Unlike the energetically expensive native TAL-producing enzyme 2-pyrone synthase, the discovered thiolases utilize acetyl-CoA instead of malonyl-CoA as an extension unit. The Burkholderia thiolases identified by the researchers can be engineered to further boost production of TAL in existing platform microorganisms such as E. coli, as well as other microorganisms such as yeasts. DEVELOPMENT STAGE: Validated system

Professor Matthew Conley from the University of California, Riverside has developed heterogeneous ruthenium catalysts for olefin metathesis. These catalysts have higher activity than state-of-the-art homogeneous catalysts in metathesis of terminal olefins.  They are combined with state-of-the-art anion capped materials that anchor positively charged Grubbs catalyst to the surface to form active heterogeneous olefin metathesis catalyst. This technology has the potential to produce heterogeneous catalysts that are less expensive, more efficient, and faster than the available homogenous ruthenium catalysts for olefin metathesis. Fig 1: Chemical structure of UCR’s heterogneous Grubb’s catalyst supported on functionalized silica for olefin metathesis.  

Researchers at the University of California Davis have developed a rapid growth platform that aims to decrease crop production time, allow for tunable sensory attributes, and decrease carbon emissions.

Noncanonical redox cofactor-based biotransformation is an attractive low-cost alternative to traditional cell-free reductive biotransformation. However, engineering enzymes to utilize noncanonical redox cofactors has been challenging. Addressing this problem, researchers at UC Irvine have developed a high-throughput directed evolution platform that enables development of such enzymes with ~147-fold improved catalytic efficiency, which translates to an industry-viable total turnover number of ~45,000 in cell-free biotransformation without requiring high cofactor concentrations.

Prof. Charles Cai and colleagues from the University of California, Riverside have developed a method for high yield co-conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to produce high octane fuel additives dimethyl furan (DMF) and methyl furans (MF). This technology works by using Cu-Ni/TiO2, a unique catalytic material that enables high yield (~90%) conversion of 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) and furfural (FF) sourced from lignocellulosic biomass into methylated furans (MF) in either single or co-processing schemes. This invention is advantageous compared to existing technologies due to its high yield and efficiency, low cost, and stable conversion process.   Fig 1: UCR’s furfural conversion and product yields as function of reaction time over Cu-Ni/TiO2.  

Professor Charles Cai from the University of California, Riverside has developed a method to produce a high-performance, renewable polyurethane material made from biomass lignin for use as an adhesive, resin, coating, or plastic. In this method, diols were introduced to realize faster and complete dissolution of technical lignins in volatile organic solvents, which improve lignin miscibility with other components and its dispersion in the PU materials. This technology is advantageous because it improves the economic viability of lignocellulosic biorefinery, can replace petroleum-based polyols in commercial polyurethanes products to reduce carbon footprint, and, as a natural UV-block, lignin reduces the UV aging of PU materials.   Fig 1: The UCR method to produce polyurethane material from biomass lignin.  

Brief description not available

Brief description not available

Brief description not available

Brief description not available