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Transgenic Plants for Metals Phytoremediation

Award Information
Agency: National Science Foundation
Branch: N/A
Contract: 0215196
Agency Tracking Number: 0215196
Amount: $100,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: STTR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 2002
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
15100 Enterprise Court
Dulles, VA 20151
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Michael Blaylock
 (703) 961-8700
 blaylock@edenspace.com
Business Contact
Phone: () -
Research Institution
 U of Tennessee Knoxville
 Neal Stewart
 
U of Tennessee Knoxville
Knoxville, TN 32251
United States

 (336) 334-4980
 Nonprofit College or University
Abstract

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is to study the feasibility of a phytoremediation process to remove lead, a model metal, from the soil. The approach is to increase the efficiency of chelate-assisted phytoremediation of environmental contaminants by using transgenic technology to provide plants with the ability to exude significant amounts of a specific chelating agent from their roots. Isolated from the DNA of the organism pseudomonas stutzeri, this chelating agent, pyridine-2,6-bis (thiocarboxylic acid) (ptdc), has the ability to degrade carbon tetrachloride and to attain high stability constants for most heavy metals, thereby assisting preferential plant uptake of these metals into harvestable leaves and stems. In this Phase I project, the pdtc transgene will be placed under the control of plant promoters to overexpress the gene in roots. ptdc excretion will be explored in two model plants, tobacco and canola.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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