USF’s College of Engineering is proud to announce Yang Hu, a USF College of Medical Engineering Ph.D. student, as a recipient of the local 2024 Chih Foundation Research and Publication Awards, celebrating the contributions of doctoral candidates in Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Yang Hu was honored for her project, “Metabolic Flux Optimization of Iterative Pathways and Novel Substrate Utilization for Sustainable Chemical Production”.
To recognize this remarkable achievement, USF hosted an awards ceremony and luncheon on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, honoring Yang Hu. Each honoree, including Hu, was joined by friends, family, faculty advisors, peers, and members of the USF community.
Yang Hu’s Research at USF
While working on Metabolic Flux Optimization of Iterative Pathways and Novel Substrate Utilization for Sustainable Chemical Production, Yang Hu was co-advised by Norma Alcantar, Ph.D., professor of USF chemical and biomedical engineering and associate dean for USF research, and Ramon Gonzalez, Ph.D., a Florida World Class Scholar and professor of USF chemical, biological, and materials engineering. Her research focuses on metabolic engineering to advance sustainable chemical production.
Yang Hu is a graduate research assistant in the Gonzalez Research Group, also known as the USF Metabolic Engineering and Biomanufacturing Lab. The Gonzalez Lab’s research focuses on engineering metabolism to produce fuels, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. The lab's mission highlights the combination of fundamental biological understanding with innovative engineering approaches to drive advancements in sustainable biomanufacturing.
Summary of Yang Hu’s Research:
“Metabolic engineering optimizes cellular processes to produce bio-based chemicals, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and benefiting human and environmental health. My research develops orthogonal gene expression tools and designs pathways to convert inexpensive feedstocks, like glycerol and C1 compounds, into valuable chemicals, supporting a greener chemical industry," Yang Hu said.
A key challenge in metabolic engineering is balancing gene expression to avoid bottlenecks, especially in iterative pathways like reverse β-oxidation (rBOX). To address this, we developed the TriO system, a plasmid-based tool for controlled gene expression. By fine-tuning expression, we optimized enzyme combinations and achieved near-optimal butyrate production from glycerol in E. coli, reaching up to 90% of the theoretical yield.
In addition to optimizing existing pathways, the team explained "we are engineering new pathways to convert C1 compounds into ethylene glycol and branched-chain products. Utilizing C1 compounds like CO₂ plays a crucial role in reducing greenhouse and these methods offer sustainable alternatives to petrochemicals.”
About the Chih Foundation
The Chih Foundation is a local organization that recognizes groundbreaking research with ransformative potential to benefit society. The foundation seeks to award and support exceptional third- or fourth-year Science, Engineering, or Medicine Ph. D, PharmD, or M.D. students. Through their generosity, the Chih Foundation Research & Publication Award provides a $3,000 monetary award to exemplary scholars who reflect these qualities, such as Yang Hu. For more information, please visit the Chih Foundation Page here.
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