Research in Biotechnology

• Molecular and genetic approaches to plant disease resistance to fungal pathogens
• Programmed cell death in the host resistance response
• Determinants of pathogenicity in rust and mildew fungi
• Forensic biotechnology including solid-phase techniques developed in this laboratory for the processing of DNA from blood and biological fluids
• Bioconversion of coal to simple organic molecules by the fungus Phanerochaete
• Bioremediation of PAH contamination by fungi
• Engineering of filamentous fungi for the production of heterologous proteins
• Gene diversification for protein engineering
• Mechanisms of action of anti-nematode drugs and resistance to these drugs
• Genotype by environment interaction in cultivated Pacific oysters
• Production of wood degrading enzymes by wood decay fungi
• Isolation of bioactive compounds from endophytic fungi
• Bioremediation of organic pollutants in soil
• Biological control and the development of molecular methods for environmental applications
• Suitability of growth factors as indicators of health/growth of organisms used in aquaculture
• Use of Dictyostelium discoideum for the production of growth factors and growth factor receptors and binding proteins
• Design of novel cell growth factors