News

Spartan researchers join a nationwide team to create a new way to design cell-sized microfactories that could help make medicines, biofuels and more.

With its streamlined genome, environmental versatility, and a single-minded focus on fermenting sugar into alcohol, Zymomonas mobilis could be a star player in the quest to replace fossil fuels with plant-based alternatives. Led by UW–Madison and collaborating with MSU BMB's Michaela TerAvest, scientists are working to understand what makes this microbe tick.

Michigan State University researchers discovered the enzyme responsible for producing microbially conjugated bile acids, some of the most abundant and crucial molecules in our gut. Published in Nature alongside a collaborative paper from Penn State, these findings reshape our understanding of the human microbiome with huge implications for bodily health. 

Michigan State University researchers have shed new light on the ancient relationship between moss and fungi in a recent paper published in The Plant Journal.

A recent publication in Metabolic Engineering looks at how cyanobacteria balance cellular energy between “source and sink,” which may have downstream applications in bioproduction. 

MSU researchers discovered the enzyme responsible for producing microbially conjugated bile acids, some of the most abundant and crucial molecules in our gut. Published in Nature alongside a collaborative paper from Penn State, these findings reshape our understanding of the human microbiome with huge implications for bodily health. 

Lisa Yun, a graduate student in the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory Ducat lab, has worked at national laboratories and universities since beginning her professional career. When considering an internship, she wanted to experience industry work to better understand the differences between the workload and organization compared to academia. She wanted to work at a startup, more specifically, she wanted to be in a smaller environment with a goal for sustainability.

LBC alum Keenan Noyes is a Spartan through and through. He graduated from MSU in 2022 with a Ph.D. in chemistry and in 2016, with a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry and biotechnology from Lyman Briggs College.