Cyanobacterium found in algae collection holds promise for biotech applications
Cyanobacteria are attractive organisms for the bio-production of fuels, chemicals and drugs but have the drawback that most strains in common use grow slowly. This week scientists at Washington University reported that they have recovered a fast-growing strain of cyanobacteria from a stored culture of a cyanobacterium originally discovered in a creek on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin in 1955. The new strain grows by 50 percent per hour, the fastest growth rate ever reported for this type of bacteria.