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Faculty > David J. Graves David J. Graves
Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Undergraduate Curriculum Chair B.S., Chemical Engineering, Carnegie-Mellon University, 1963 email: Current Focus of Research Bioproduct Recovery from Living Cells In the future, it is quite likely that a significant number of traditional petroleum-based chemical production plants will be replaced by installations which look much more like those used for pharmaceutical and/or food manufacture. Complex molecules will be created within cells, produced either by industrial fermentation or by relatively traditional agriculture and animal husbandry methods. This is a natural outgrowth of our ever-increasing ability to manipulate cells and their metabolic pathways through genetic engineering. As much as 40% of the cost of a product obtained from cells can lie in the separation and purification of one molecule from a mixture of thousands of different types. Bioseparation therefore is a crucial part of bioproduction. We have recognized these trends and have focused on several novel methods for separating bioproducts from crude mixtures efficiently and inexpensively. Chemical Conversions in Living Cells The new capabilities which biochemical engineers have gained through their interaction with molecular biologists and others in the life sciences are creating exciting new opportunities. Among these are bioremediation by plants which are designed to extract waste materials directly from the soil in which they are growing, and as mentioned above, redirection of metabolic pathways or development of new pathways to produce useful chemical products. We are beginning to apply genetic engineering methods to problems in chemical production within cells which are particularly relevant to bioreaction engineering. DNA Identification with Immobilized Hybridization The information contained in DNA can be decoded to identify bacteria, to look for specific genetic defects in humans, to aid in forensic identifications, and to perform a variety of other important functions. We have begun studying one identification method, which involves the process of pairing or hybridization of DNA molecules. In this technique, one component of the pair is attached to a solid surface and the second is in solution. A very large array of of different DNA probes can, in theory, screen for many possible sequences of DNA simultaneously. We are now examining a number of theoretical and experimental parameters involved in forming and detecting such hybrids: diffusion, steric barriers, kinetics, etc. In addition, we are looking at practical issues such as how these analyses can be carried out on real samples rapidly and efficiently. Selected Publications: Kajiyama, T., Miyahara, Y., Kricka, L. J., Wilding, P., Graves, D. J., Surrey, S., Fortina, P., "Genotyping on a Thermal Gradient DNA Chip," Genome Research, 13, 467-475, (2003). Zhang, Y., Eniola, A.O., Graves, D.J., and Hammer, D.A., "Specific Adhesion of Micron-Sized Colloids to Surfaces Mediated by Hybridizing DNA Chains," Langmuir, 19, 6905-6911, (2003). Graves, D.J., Su, H.-J., Surrey, S., and Fortina, P., "A Four-Laser Scanning Confocal System for Microarray Analysis," BioTechniques, 32, #2 346-355 (2002). Su, H.J., Surrey, S., McKenzie, S.E., Fortina, P., and Graves, D.J., "Kinetics of Heterogeneous Hybridization on Indium Tin Oxide Surfaces with and without an Applied Potential," Electrophoresis, 23, 1551-57, (2002). P. Fortina, D. J. Graves, C. Stoeckert, Jr., S. McKenzie, and S. Surrey, "Technology Options and Applications of DNA Microarrays" (Chapter 10), Biochip Technology ed. by J. Cheng and L. Kricka, (Harrowed Academic Publisher, 2001) 185-215. P. Fortina, K. Delgrosso, T. Sakazume, R. Santacroce, S. Moutereau, H.-J. Su, D. J. Graves, S. McKenzie, and S. Surrey, "Simple Two-color Array-based Approach for Mutation Detection," Eur. J. of Hum. Gen., 8, (2000) 884-894.
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