07/08/2024Green gold: Turning trees into 'biofactories'Spartan researchers have developed a way to get poplar trees to produce valuable molecules usually derived from shark livers.
  • A team of researchers led by Michigan State University’s Björn Hamberger reports new findings that could help engineer poplar trees to produce high value chemical compounds. 
  • Producing these compounds could greatly increase the economic viability of poplar trees as a source of biofuel. 
  • The team specifically explored the production of a chemical known as squalene which is currently harvested from shark livers and widely used in cosmetics and vaccines. 
Connor YeckPoplars grow in the Hamberger lab.Close-up of poplar leaf with water droplets.