Technologies for Characterizing Molecular and Cellular Systems Relevant to Bioenergy and Environment

Summary

The Biological Systems Science Division (BSSD) within the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER) funds basic research on plants and microbes relevant to several DOE bioenergy and environmental mission areas.BSSD research seeks to understand the fundamental genome-encoded properties of plants and microbes that can be harnessed or redesigned for beneficial purposes.

Current emphases are leading to the discovery, development, and understanding of numerous plant and microbial species with traits suitable for the production of fuels and chemical products from renewable biomass that could be grown synergistically with food or animal feed crops while not competing with other societal needs. Additionally, BSSD further supports research leading to an understanding of the complex and essential interactions among plants, microbial communities, and the environment to find new ways to sustainably produce biomass for a range of bioenergy and bioproduct applications. This research also is relevant for incorporation into larger-scale environmental models such as those developed through the research supported by BER’s Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences programs.

To engage the relevant scientific communities in discussions of these research areas, BER convened the Technologies for Characterizing Molecular and Cellular Systems Relevant to Bioenergy and Environment workshop on September 21-23, 2016. Seeking to enable more comprehensive systems biology-based approaches, which typically require measurements of many samples, workshop participants highlighted the need for the development of highly sensitive methods to provide accurate measurements from small sample volumes and that are operable in high-throughput or highly parallel modes.

Suggested citation: U.S. DOE. 2017. Technologies for Characterizing Molecular and Cellular Systems Relevant to Bioenergy and Environment, DOE/SC-0189, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. (https://genomicscience.energy.gov/technologies/).