We are a team of researchers and academic staff at the Ecobiomaterial Research Lab, School of Biological Sciences, situated on the beautiful, green campus of Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.

Our research focus is microbial plastic or Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) which can be used to create safe, useful and biodegradable solutions for the future.

You can learn more about what we do in the laboratory on Polyhydroxyalkanoates by starting with our Research page.

If you are new to Polyhydroxyalkanoates, find out more under PHA Info. You can also find more answers in our Frequently Asked Questions page.

If you want to view photographs of our research, go to Gallery.

Enjoy your exploration of our website.

And if you wish to collaborate with us, send us email via the Contact page.

 

 

 

PHAs are synthesized by various microorganisms as carbon and energy storage compounds, which consist of (R)-3HA monomer unit. The 3-hydroxyalkanoic acids are all in the R configuration due to the stereospecificity of the polymerizing enzyme, PHA synthase. The most well known member of PHA is poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)], containing repeat units of (R)-3HB. The monomers are polymerized into high molecular weight polymers in the range of 200,000 to 3,000,000 Dalton, depend on the microorganism and growth conditions.

PHA exists as discrete inclusions in the cell cytoplasm and may be visualized quite clearly under phase contrast light microscope due to their high refractivity [1]. When thin sections of PHA-containing bacteria are observed by transmission electron microscopy, the PHA inclusions appear as electron-dense bodies. Native PHA inclusions can be stained with Sudan black B or Nile Blue A while Nile Red can be used to detect PHAs directly in growing bacterial colonies. Chemical analysis such as gas chromatography (GC) or nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) analysis is often required to determine its monomer composition.