Immobilized Cell Production of Secondary Metabolites

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Narrative: Many of the useful products formed by microorganisms are known as secondary metabolites since they are not required for the growth or primary metabolism of the microbes. Antibiotics such as penicillin and cephalosporin C are examples of secondary metabolites currently produced on a large scale. Products from genetically altered organisms also resemble, for the most part, secondary metabolites. Current production methods involve making the product in individual batches. It would be more efficient to do this in a continuous manner if good processing and separation steps could be developed. The use of immobilized microorganisms (i.e., attaching the organisms to solid supports) presents an attractive approach to continuous processing, and that is the focus of the proposed research. This research will investigate the regulation of secondary metabolite production by immobilized cells through controlling the nutrient levels. Also, it is intended to study the effect of immobilization on the stability of genetically altered microorganisms, as well as the effect on altering the metabolism of attached cells. The results of the research should be extremely useful in developing new continuous production processes for secondary metabolites.