When it comes to 3D printing, the sky is the limit. As 3D printing technology continues to advance, applications can be as far reaching as airplane and automobile parts to medical devices and even anatomically correct, biocompatible models. Although 3D printing technology is developing at a rapid pace, the technology itself is not new. It emerged in the 1980s as a means of creating rapid prototypes. In recent years the applications for 3D printed models have evolved with the available hardware, software, and printable materials. Evolving technology, paired with the creative and innovative minds of scientists, engineers, and physicians, has been the launching pad for developments within 3D printing technology specific to healthcare. One way 3D printing technology is poised to create better patient outcomes is in creating an anatomically and patient-specific models to aid in surgery and medical procedures. With the capability to 3D print patient-specific models, more acc
The search is on to find biodegradable plastics that can be made from renewable materials at reasonable costs. Now, researchers in Germany have reported a method for rapidly producing poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) in microalgae.
PHB is renewable and biodegradable polyester with thermoplastic properties. PHB is produced naturally in bacteria such as Ralstonia eutropha and Bacillus megaterium without petroleum feedstock. And it degrades to carbon dioxide and water, unlike other plastics that may never degrade.
Researchers are exploring various ways to use algae for making more environmentally friendly and sustainable plastic, as shown in the video. Companies have produced PHB, but the bacterial fermentation methods are expensive, and plant systems grow slowly and occupy the agricultural land area.
Bacteria synthesize PHB from acetyl-CoA using the enzymes ß-ketothiolase, acetoacetyl-CoA reductase, and PHB synthase. The bioplastic accumulates in the cytosol of the bacterial cells. The European researchers made PHB by introducing R. eutropha genes into a diatom called Phaeodactylum tricornutum. They confirmed with light and electron microscopy that the diatoms produced PBH in their cytosol. After only seven days, PHB comprised about 10% of the dried weight of the diatoms, according to a journal article.
The European researchers elaborated in their article on the significance of their work:
This study has demonstrated that microalgae like the diatom P. tricornutum have a great potential not only as biosynthetic factory for recombinant proteins but also as photosynthetically fueled bioreactors for synthesizing biotechnologically relevant polymers like PHB.
The researchers also noted in their article that PHB yield may be increased in the future by optimizing the enzymes or the diatoms or using other subcellular compartments such as plastids for PHB synthesis.
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