There has been an expanding interest in the characterization and manipulation of biocatalysts for their application in a range of biotechnologies; most especially for improved utilization of plant biomass in engineered processes for the production of fuel-ethanol. These rather pragmatic interests have resulted in a renewed interest in the microbiology and (meta)-genomic underpinnings of plant biomass conversion in terrestrial and marine environments, which has been enabled and supported by NSF's Microbial Observatories and Microbial Genome Sequencing programs.
This Gordon Research Conference on Cellulases and Cellulosomes is the only Conference that collectively addresses the microbiological, genetic and biochemical underpinnings of polysaccharide hydrolysis in natural and engineered processes. The conference addresses cutting-edge studies in structural biology and molecular biochemistry. It includes discussions of microbial communities examined via (meta)genomics (marine, terrestrial, termite and human hindgut); as well as a greater emphasis on engineered processes.
There is an emphasis on cutting edge presentations, based on largely new, unpublished research, stimulating rigorous discussion and transformative ideas. The conference has fostered cross cutting collaborations. More than half of the participants have been young investigators and half have been international.
