Mary Lidstrom
2006 Catalyst Article
Professor Mary Lidstrom continues to work on research that addresses problems of environmental and industrial significance. Her main focus has been a group of bacteria that grow on one-carbon compounds such as methane and methanol, known as methylotrophs. These bacteria are of interest environmentally for their role in carbon cycling and their potential in bioremediation. Their ability to convert simple, inexpensive, and renewable feedstocks into value-added products places them in a prime position as candidates for the production of chemicals that will not harm the environment. By developing and applying novel genetic, biochemical, genomic, and modeling approaches, Prof. Lidstrom’s lab has developed this relatively obscure group of bacteria into a model system for understanding and manipulating metabolism.
Taking a similar approach, researchers within the Lidstrom lab are combining genomic analyses with applied goals to produce strains of Deinococcus radiodurans that have enhanced, mixed-waste, and remediation characteristics for detoxifying the vast extent of DOE’s low-level mixed wastes.
As co-director of the Microscale Life Science Center (MLSC), Prof. Lidstrom works with Prof. Deirdre Meldrum (electrical engineering) and 10 other UW research groups on developing and applying technology for multiparameter analysis of single cells. The MLSC team has successfully created the first prototype single-cell devices for both bacteria and mammalian cells. The team can also measure multiple physiological and genetic parameters in individual cells.
In her role as an HHMI Professor, Dr. Lidstrom has developed and implemented a new educational initiative: to teach the language and approaches of biology to engineers, who have no prior background in biology. This initiative involves formal coursework and research-based learning but is grounded in engineering principles. It builds on the engineering strengths of the students for approaching biological systems from a design and problem-solving perspective.
