Butanol Biosynthesis

Think of synthetic biologists as characters in American Chopper. They insert genetic parts within cells, creating customized cellular bikes that have been fine-tuned for a specific purpose. In the case of the student-organized team that competed in MIT's International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Competition last fall, the goal was to soup up a cell so that it could synthesize butanol from cellulose and light.

“We wanted to design a novel metabolic pathway for butanol production using modular genetic material from marine bacteria,” says Amy Schell (BME '08), one of five members of the Virginia team. Butanol is an excellent candidate for an alternative fuel because, unlike ethanol, its energy density approaches that of gasoline and it is not corrosive to existing pipelines.

Schell joined other members of the team, which consists of George McArthur (ChE '08), Kevin Hershey (ChE '08), Ranjan Khan (BME '09) and biology major Emre Ruhi ('08), in raising funds for the project, recruiting faculty advisers and securing space to conduct the research. “We didn't get as far in our experiments as we would have liked,” she says, “but in the process of establishing an iGEM team at U.Va., we gained firsthand exposure to all the things you have to do to launch a successful research effort.”

Schell's experience with iGEM, as well as research she conducted with Biomedical Engineering Professor Richard Price on angiogenesis, has affected her career plans. She still intends to go to medical school next year, but now she also wants to do research. “I found that I love the basic sciences,” she says. “I would love to combine the perspective of a PhD with that of an MD.”