This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Bacteria get a bad reputation—with all the outbreaks, infections and deaths. Some bacteria are turning this assumption on its head.
Scientists at the Bioplastics Innovation Hub recently discovered a type of bacteria that could grow bioplastic, specifically polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). Salinivibrio bacteria belong to the large Vibrionaceae family of marine bacteria, which thrive in hypersaline environments such as the salt lakes of Wadjemup/Rottnest Island. Murdoch University researchers decoded the bacteria's genomes to shed more light on their full capabilities.
They examined each gene to pinpoint those that could produce PHA. PHA is a type of bioplastic that can be made from waste materials, including leftover feedstock, and has a smaller carbon footprint than traditional plastic. As well as replacing regular plastic in food wraps, plastic bags and textiles, it's used in the medical industry for screws and plates used in grafts and implants.
While PHA is currently being manufactured, it still has limitations. Murdoch's new research might bring the bioplastic market to Western Australia. While some bacteria can produce plastic, others can turn it into pharmaceuticals.
A research team from the University of Edinburgh is producing a frontline medication for Parkinson's disease using genetically engineered E. coli. The process, called bio-upcycling, has been used to create various other products from plastic, but the team believes it is the first to use it to make medication for a neurological disease. Levodopa is often used when symptoms become too much to handle with other drugs.
While it's still in the early stages, this discovery could harness the power of bacteria to create a more sustainable process of drug synthesis. Researchers are also looking far beyond Earth—to how bacteria could help colonize Mars. One of the barriers facing the establishment of a Mars colony is the construction of infrastructure using available local materials.
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