Alexander Wentzel

Centre for Digital Life Norway (DLN) project 'OXYMOD - Optimized oxidative enzyme systems for efficient conversion of lignocellulose to valuable products'

Bioprocesses for the optimized, integrated production of butyl esters from sustainable resources (BESTER)

Industrial Biotechnology is a key enabling technology to produce a plethora of different bio-based products from sustainable resources and a driver for developing the bio-based economy in Europe. Systems biology and Synthetic biology are recent additions to the biotechnology toolbox that in interplay with bioprocess and chemical process technology can help developing competitive industrial
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INBioPharm - Integrated Novel Natural Product Discovery and Production Platform for Accelerated Biopharmaceutical Innovation from Microbial Biodiversity project will develop a new, generic technology platform for the more efficient discovery of novel bioactive compounds with improved prospects to become medical products. A unique national collection of marine microorganisms at SINTEF/NTNU will be used as the basis for the development of different new, complementary molecular biology, analytical
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There is an urgent need for novel antibiotics to fight life-threatening infections and to counteract the increasing problem of propagating antibiotic resistance. Recently, new molecular genetic and biochemical tools have provided insight into the enormous unexploited genetic pool of environmental microbial biodiversity for new antibiotic compounds. New tools for more efficiently lifting this hidden treasure are needed to strengthen competitiveness of European industry, as well as for a cost-saving
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Global metabolic switching in Streptomyces coelicolor

Antibiotics are made during the second phase of growth when there is a transition in metabolism from primary to secondary metabolism. Primary metabolism is growth related and involves all the normal cellular activities associated with cell growth and division. Whereas secondary metabolism is non-growth linked and is non-essential but many important activities occur during this phase which help the bacterium survive.