Developing the nematode Steinernema hermaphroditum as a delivery vector for engineered microbes into soil environments
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Developing the nematode Steinernema hermaphroditum as a delivery vector for engineered microbes into soil environments
PIs: Paul Sternberg and Richard Murray
Research Team: Mengyi Cao, John Marken, and Hillel Schwartz
Division of Biology and Biological Engineering and Division of Engineering and Applied Science
Ecology and Biosphere Engineering Initiative
2021 Explorer grant
Working to engineer the rhizosphere (the soil's microbiome) by adding beneficial microbe strains holds promise for developing more sustainable ecosystems. However, there is no well established mechanism to ensure the introduced microbes will take hold. This project aims to genetically engineer a nematode-bacteria symbiotic system to deliver these beneficial microbes to the soil environment.