Enlisting bacteria for good
Microbes’ fast-track evolution offers hope for remediating combat-related chemical contamination.
Building on his previous research into how bacteria degrade diabetes medication, BMBB Professor Larry Wackett and his team have identified enzymes capable of breaking down nitroguanidine, a modern explosive substitute for TNT, into harmless gases. This discovery addresses a significant environmental threat, as military training grounds and battlefields worldwide are often contaminated with these chemicals, which can degrade into carcinogenic compounds. The Wackett lab is now working with the university’s biomanufacturing facilities to scale up production of these enzymes for large-scale soil remediation and eventual field testing.
