The University of Minnesota Predictive Biodegradation Project

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There is a great need in the biodegradation community to predict the fate of new chemicals in the environment. This fate is largely predicated on microbial metabolism. Like predicting the weather, the outcome does not have to be 100% accurate to be useful. However, it should be based on sound scientific principles, backed up by experimental results.

The knowledge required to predict biodegradation pathways and their likely application in the environment is very broad, beyond that of any single human being. Thus, in 1998, we initiated the PredictBT project to collect this knowledge and make it available via a computerized predictive system. There have been numerous papers published on this project. Moreover, a Pathway Prediction System (PPS) is now freely available on the web at: http://umbbd.ethz.ch/predict/.

We are now exploring the expansion of the existing PPS to predict what biodegradation pathways are more or less likely under certain environmental conditions. To learn more about this effort, follow the link to Workshop #2 below. We are evaluating its use for a wider range of compounds and its user interface. To learn more about this effort, follow the link to Workshop #3 below. We are exploring ways to rationally limit the combinatorial explosion of metabolites and pathways to those plausible in the environment. To learn more about this effort, follow the link to Workshop #4 below. We are exploring ways to expand its use for biofuels. To learn more about this effor, follow the link to Workshop #5 below.

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