NSF Engineering Center for Biorenewable Chemicals (CBiRC)

The Center for Biorenewable Chemicals (CBiRC) is developing the tools, components, and materials needed to transform biological-based systems to generate chemicals.

Mass Spectrometric Imaging of Plant Metabolites

In this project, we are developing mass spectrometric imaging techniques to map metabolite distributions within plant tissues and eventually among individual plant cells.

Integrated and Dynamic Multi-Spectroscopic in situ Imaging of Plant Metabolism at the Level of Subcellular Compartments

The project will adapt and integrate multi-spectral, high spatial resolution analytical imaging capabilities that have been independently developed in partnerships between ISU and Ames Lab, but targeted for non-biological materials analyses.

Comparative Functional Genomics of Nectaries and Nectar in the Dicots

Nectar and nectary metabolomes will be analyzed using methods optimized for the preliminary data. These methods are based on procedures used to determine the metabolomes of several plant organs, including Arabidopsis seedling leaves, soybean seeds, maize leaves, and Jacaranda nectar.

Surface Lipid Metabolome on Maize Silks

This collaborative and interdisciplinary project is focused on understanding the biosynthetic pathways and genetic networks responsible for the accumulation of surface lipids on aerial portions of land plants.

PAPM EAGER: Microfluidic Root Exudate Sampler with High Spatio-Temporal Sampling Resolution

This project will elaborate advanced technology for gathering high spatiotemporal resolution data of metabolites and microbes in the rhizosphere. This objective will be met by developing a modular toolkit for the localized sampling of rhizosphere exudates from roots grown in soil matrices. 

Regulation of Seed Composition

The objectives of this project are to use a systems biology approach to study regulation of seed composition in order to develop a molecular tool for soybean germplasm improvement.

A novel enzyme-enabled Raman spectroscopic imaging (e2RSI) system for imaging the nanoscale molecular arrangement of the extracellular matrix of plants

The goal of this project is to pool the expertise of the PIs in nanotechnology, spectroscopic biosensing, mechanical engineering, physics, plant molecular biology and biochemistry to develop a novel enzyme-enabled Raman imaging (e2RSI) technology to molecularly image, for the first time, the extracellular structural components of plants at a spatial resolution of ~15nm.

Isolation and Evaluation of Phytochemicals from Mushrooms for the Inhibition of HMG-CoA Reductase

The objectives of this project are determination of the antioxidant activity of selected mushrooms, evaluation of the inhibitory effect of different extracts of mushrooms on HMG-CoA reductase activity, isolation of bioactive phytochemicals for HMG-CoA reductase inhibition, and structure elucidation of compounds that inhibit HMG-CoA reductase by using NMR. 

BIC: An Innovation Partnership to Advance a High-Throughput Phenotype Screening Platform

This project will advance a high-throughput screening platform for determining the chemical phenotype of individual plants through a synergistic partnership at Iowa State University among plant scientists, geneticists, breeders and instrumentation scientists.