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Cellulose, the major component of plant biomass, is considered the most abundant biopolymer. Certain microorganisms are able to convert the monomer of cellulose, glucose, into various products useful in the production of biofuels and other methods. Cellulose is highly stable, has a high storage potential, low cost, and plentiful supply. Based on these and other properties, cellulose and enzymes capable of degrading and hydrolyzing it are useful in the sequestration, storage, and production of bioenergy.  Crystalline cellulose is composed of linear polymers of β1-4 linked glucose, held in a tightly crosslinked crystalline lattice by a high degree of intermolecular hydrogen bonding. This structure confers stability but also hinders efficient deconstruction of cellulose. Strategies for commercial depolymerization of cellulose typically combine pretreatment to disrupt the crystalline structure, followed by enzymatic hydrolysis. Disruption of the crystalline structure and chemical hydrolysis typically requires high temperatures and low pH. Enzymatic hydrolysis generally occurs under milder conditions. The degree of pretreatment required and the expense of subsequent cleanup steps are affected by properties of the enzymes used. Bacteria capable of degrading cellulose include those belonging to the genera Aquifex, Rhodothermus, Thermobifida, Anaerocellum, and Caldicellulosiruptor. A recombinant thermostable endoglucanase of Aquifex aeolicus produced in E. coli showed maximal activity at 80° C. and pH 7.0 with a half-life of 2 h at 100° C.  UC Berkeley investigators have engineered a polypeptide having cellulase activity for hydrolysis and degradation of cellulose-containing biomass.

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.

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.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed synthetic biochemical compounds that capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or sources such as power plants. These new derivatives mimic how some plants capture carbon dioxide from the air and use it for photosynthesis.

The inventors have developed a highly scalable multiplexed approach to increase the density of graphene nanoribbon- (GNR) based transistors. The technology forms a single device/chip (scale to 16,000 to >1,000,000 parallel transistors) on a single integrated circuit for single molecule biomolecular sensing, electrical switching, magnetic switching, and logic operations. This work relates to the synthesis and the manufacture of molecular electronic devices, more particularly sensors, switches, and complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) chip-based integrated circuits.Bottom-up synthesized graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) have emerged as one of the most promising materials for post-silicon integrated circuit architectures and have already demonstrated the ability to overcome many of the challenges encountered by devices based on carbon nanotubes or photolithographically patterned graphene. The new field of synthetic electronics borne out of GNRs electronic devices could enable the next generation of electronic circuits and sensors.  

The non‐proteinogenic amino acid l‐4‐chlorokynurenine (l‐4‐Cl‐Kyn) is a next‐generation, fast‐acting oral prodrug for the treatment of major depressive disorder. Additional studies report that this drug candidate is effective in animal models for the treatment of neuropathic pain, epilepsy, and Huntington's disease.  After active transport across the blood–brain barrier, it is enzymatically converted into the active agent 7‐chlorokynurenic acid, which is a highly selective competitive antagonist of the N‐methyl‐d‐aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor.   Suicide is 2-7x higher in Veterans than non-veterans, and may be related to brain kynurenine pathway (KP) dysregulation and NMDA receptor (NMDAR) hyperactivation.  L-4-Chlorokynurenine (L-4-Cl-Kyn) is a neuropharmaceutical drug candidate that is in development for the treatment of major depressive disorder (Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 2 Trial to Test Efficacy and Safety of AV-101 (L-4-chlorokynurenine) as Adjunct to Current Antidepressant Therapy in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder (the ELEVATE Study)).

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a viral amplicon-based vector system for heterologous protein expression and production in plants.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a one-step spray dry calcium cross-linked alginate encapsulation process where the calcium is released from a chelating agent.

Currently, renewable fatty acids are obtained solely from plant oils. Medium chain fatty acids (C8-C14) are typically sourced from coconut and palm oil, whereas longer chain saturated and unsaturated fatty acids are typically sourced from tallow, soy, corn or sunflower oil. Fatty acids are widely used for food, personal care products, industrial applications (e.g., lubricants, adhesives, detergents and plastics), as well as increasingly as biofuels. The demand for renewable fatty acids is rising and expanding. Given the current understanding of biological pathways it becomes possible to utilize other organisms, especially microorganisms, for the production of renewable chemicals such as fatty acids.

This technology is a new class of materials capable of thermal regulation and active camouflage. These cephalopod-inspired materials, configurable to different geometries, can be used in many sectors, ranging from consumer to industrial to military applications.

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Complex polyketides include a family of natural products that possess a wide variety of pharmacological or biological activities. Numerous polyketides and their semisynthetic derivatives have been approved for clinical use in humans or animals, including antibiotics, antifungal agents, immunosuppressants, antiparasitic agents and insecticides. All these natural products share a common mechanism of biosynthesis and are produced by a class of enzymes called polyketide synthases (PKSs). Besides their essential role in the biosynthesis of a vast diversity of natural products, the versatility of PKSs can be further emphasized as they can be redesigned and repurposed to produce novel molecules that could be used as fuels, industrial chemicals, and monomers. Most polyketide producers are slow-growing, recalcitrant to genetic manipulation, or even non-culturable.Cyanobacteria are particularly attractive for the production of natural compounds because they have minimal nutritional demands and several strains have well established genetic tools. 

Algae have enormous potential as bio-factories for the efficient production of a wide array of high-value products, and eventually as a source of renewable biofuels. However, tools for engineering the nuclear genomes of algae remain scarce and limited in functionality, in part due to lack of strong promoters.

Inventors at UC Irvine have engineered an orthogonal DNA replication system capable of rapid, accelerated continuous evolution. This system enables the directed evolution of specific biomolecules towards user-defined functions and is applicable to problems of protein, enzyme, and metabolic pathway engineering.

The Liao group at UCLA has constructed a Non-Oxidative Glycolysis pathway for the synthesis of biofuel precursors with a 100% carbon conversion rate.

UCLA researchers in the Departments of Bioengineering, Chemistry and Biochemistry have developed a novel synthetic strategy for the fabrication of biomass-derived polymers incorporating underutilized lignin derivatives.

UCLA researchers in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry have developed a system for regulation of cofactors in cell free biochemical production.

UCLA researchers in the Department of Electrical Engineering have developed a new portable device to rapidly measure yeast cell viability and concentration using a lab-on-chip design.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a novel system for acetoin and 2,3-butanediol synthesis from carbon dioxide.

Researchers at UC Irvine developed a device and method that combines the high dynamic range and high accuracy of digital PCR (dPCR) with the real-time analysis of quantitative PCR (qPCR) to achieve a ultra-high dynamic range PCR over 10 to 12 orders of magnitude. The present method is accomplished by a highly integrated design that optimally packs, thermocycles, and images as many as 1 million reaction vessels.

UCLA researchers in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular engineering have developed a novel UF-RO system.

Biotherapeutic proteins manufactured in cell culture systems have transformed modern medicine. Selling many tens of billions per year, new biotherapeutics such as monoclonal antibodies have delivered dramatic clinical results, while posing significant manufacturing problems.: During the cell culture manufacturing process, toxic bioproducts such as lactate and ammonia have posed considerable challenges in bioprocessing, since they limit cell growth and impact critical quality attributes of recombinant protein production (e.g., therapeutic drugs, enzymes). That is because the lactate alters the regulation of biosynthetic enzymes, and can lead to changes in pH in the culture. To mitigate the negative effects of lactic acid accumulation and control the culture pH, chemical ‘base’ is added to the media during the course of a bioprocess. However, the base addition negatively impacts the bioprocess by inhibiting growth and shortening the length of time in which the cells can produce the recombinant protein. This leads to reduced yield, and increased cost-of-goods. Thus, it is of great interest to eliminate lactate production, and UC San Diego researchers have recently developed a new process for achieving this.  

UCLA researchers in the Department of Bioengineering have developed a microfluidic droplet generation technique that only uses magnetic forces to emulsify ferrofluid containing solutions.