Please reach out to Jason Somarelli (jason.somarelli@duke.edu) with questions about this project.

Background

By 2025, we may be throwing away over 2.2 billion tons of plastics each year. Sadly, much of this plastic ends up in our waterways. Our oceans are home to enormous piles of plastic debris scattered throughout the water column. Ingestion of plastics by marine species has a substantial negative impact on their health. Additionally, plastic bioaccumulation in fish can transmit carcinogens up the food chain to our dinner plates. 

Yet despite the staggering volume of debris produced annually and the clear environmental and human health impacts, plastic waste continues to accumulate. There is an urgent need to develop novel strategies to combat bioaccumulation of plastics. Researchers have identified microbes that can convert plastic polymers into biodegradable products. These enzymes represent powerful new tools for bioremediation efforts; however, these microbes are not yet capable of rapid, scalable plastic degradation.

Project Description

Building on the work of previous teams, this project team will work to optimize its newly generated microbial systems for high-efficiency plastic degradation and explore the harmful effects of plastic on cellular health.

Using a bacterial species developed by the previous year’s team, team members will use a direct evolution approach to grow and select for P. stutzeri mutants with rapid plastic degradation. In the long term, these results will be used to collaborate with Conservation X Labs to engineer a solar powered, portable bioreactor capable of deployment to areas in need of plastic remediation.

In parallel, team members will test the hypothesis that increasing the temperature of plastic will improve plastic degrading capacity, using tools such as measurement of dry plastic weight, scanning electron microscopy, plate clearing assays and high-performance liquid chromatography.

To further study the harmful effects of plastic on cellular health, the team will treat cell cultures with plastic additives and quantify differences in cancer-like phenotypes: colony formation, anchorage-independent growth and migration/invasion assays. The team will also quantify cell growth and apoptosis and test for detoxification genes.

Anticipated Outputs

At least two peer-reviewed manuscripts; development and testing of enzymes; website creation; grant proposals

Student Opportunities

Ideally, this project team will include 3 graduate students and 8 undergraduate students. Interested students will likely be from disciplines such as biology, engineering, chemistry, computer science, bioinformatics and environmental science. Students with expertise in molecular biology, genetic engineering, genomics, bioinformatics and public policy are also wanted.

Students will gain comprehensive experience working in a research laboratory at a top-tier research university. While working alongside team leaders and project managers, undergraduates and junior graduate students will perform experiments, present data at meetings, summarize and critically evaluate journal articles at monthly journal clubs, and gain writing skills by preparing manuscripts for submission to peer-reviewed journals. Students will also have the chance to engage in career development discussions with peer mentors and team leaders. 

This project includes optional summer components for the summers of 2023 and 2024. Students may work approximately 20 hours per week for 12 weeks.

Bea Schleupner will serve as project manager.

Timing

Summer 2023 – Summer 2024

• Summer 2023 (optional): Continue research from previous year; write papers; provide informational interviews for new members 
• Fall 2023: Conduct informational interviews with current students; review literature; design, perform and troubleshoot experiments; analyze data; present at weekly meetings; write final report for a manuscript
• Spring 2024: Advance data collection; expand analysis; continue writing
• Summer 2024 (optional): Continue research; write papers

Crediting

Academic credit available for fall and spring semesters; summer funding available

See earlier related team, Bioremediation of Plastic Pollution to Conserve Biodiversity (2022-2023).