Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biological polyesters produced through microbial fermentation processes. They have attracted attention as an alternative source to petro-chemically derived plastics as they are biodegradable, renewable, biocompatible and environmentally friendly. However, a notable limitation for their bulk production is the producer microbes’ low yield and productivity which le...

Polyethylene and polypropylene, known as conventional plastic, from non-renewable sources, like oil, are successfully replacing by glasses and papers in packaging industry due to their low cost, variety and durability [1]. However, these plastics for being slow degradability and hinder the exchange of gas and the decomposition of other compounds cause health problems when they are not disposed ...

Phasins are a group of proteins associated to granules of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). Apart from their structural role as part of the PHA granule cover, different structural and regulatory functions have been found associated to many of them, and several biotechnological applications have been developed using phasin protein fusions. Despite their remarkable functional diversity, the structure...

Over reliance on energy or petroleum products has raised concerns both in regards to the depletion of their associated natural resources as well as their increasing costs. Bioplastics derived from microbes are emerging as promising alternatives to fossil fuel derived petroleum plastics. The development of a simple and eco-friendly strategy for bioplastic production with high productivity and yi...

The photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus can grow with short- to long-chain fatty acids as the sole carbon source (R. G. Kranz, K. K. Gabbert, T. A. Locke, and M. T. Madigan, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63:3003-3009, 1997). Concomitant with growth on fatty acids is the production to high levels of the polyester storage compounds called polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). Here, we describe co...

Bacteria capable of degrading polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) by secreting extracellular depolymerase enzymes were isolated from water and soil samples collected from various environments in Malaysia. A total of 8 potential degraders exhibited clear zones on poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)] based agar, indicating the presence of extracellular PHA depolymerase. Among the isolates, DP5 exhibited the ...

Almost all of the currently available fracture fixation devices for metaphyseal fragility fractures are made of hard metals, which carry a high risk of implant-related complications such as implant cutout in severely osteoporotic patients. We developed a novel fracture fixation technique (intramedullary-fixation with biodegradable materials; IM-BM) for severely weakened long bones using three d...

Microparticles made from degradable polyhydroxyalkanoates of different chemical compositions a homopolymer of 3-hydroxybutyric acid, copolymers of 3-hydroxybutyric and 4-hydroxybutyric acids (P3HB/4HB), 3-hydroxybutyric and 3-hydroxyvaleric acids (P3HB/3HV), 3-hydroxybutyric and 3-hydroxyhexanoic acids (P3HB/3HHx) were prepared using the solvent evaporation technique, from double emulsions. The...

A number of the micro-organisms are capable of producing polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA’s) as storage food reserve under unbalanced growth conditions. The mechanical properties of PHA’s are similar to that of synthetic plastics like polyethylene, polypropylene etc. The advantage of using PHA’s over synthetic plastic is that PHA’s are completely mineralized into carbon dioxide and water through the ...