Robert Mejia came to the University of Wisconsin–Madison to fulfill what he sees as an imperative.
“One of the biggest problems facing our planet is environmental degradation that endangers the lives and habitats of other animals. Much of it is anthropogenic, so it’s our responsibility to find a solution,” says Mejia.
As a graduate student in the Integrated Program in Biochemistry (IPiB), Mejia’s research in the Fox Lab in the Department of Biochemistry seeks to address the mounting issue of petroleum-based plastic pollution, which are associated with a variety of negative ecological impacts and health issues in animals — including humans. His doctoral research focuses on engineering a strain of E. coli to incorporate a biochemical pathway that can produce a bio-plastic for industrial and commercial applications. The pathway relies on enzymes that allow the bacteria to use sugars found in underutilized industrial waste as a food source and convert them into a bio-plastic.
Last fall, Mejia temporarily shifted his focus from plastics to palm oil when he joined the Madison-based biotechnology startup, Xylome, as an intern. The company is engineering a yeast that can produce palm oil in a laboratory setting. Ultimately, the yeast could reduce or even eliminate the environmental degradation — and loss of habitat for animals such as orangutans — associated with palm oil farming in Southeast Asia. Palm oil is sought after in industries such as food and cosmetics for its soft, solid texture at room temperature and its low melting point. Using Lipomyces starkeyi, a yeast that produces lipids, Xylome generates and purifies palm oil that is functionally and chemically identical to traditional palm oil.
Mejia was the second student to intern at Xylome as part of the Biotechnology Training Program (BTP), a NIH-funded training program at UW–Madison that allows trainees to gain experience in biotechnology-related fields through coursework and a required internship. After years of benchwork, Mejia was interested in learning more about the business side of bio-product development research and industries with environmental impact.
As an intern, Mejia helped Xylome research ways to more sustainably purify yeast-produced palm oil without toxic solvents and how to tweak the lipid profile of the oil to achieve specific characteristics. He also explored how to improve experimental workflows. Working at the startup also helped Mejia develop skills in communicating complex science to non-scientists. He also had the opportunity to observe the company from multiple angles, as he sat in on business meetings.
“When I first got there, I asked if I could be a part of any business meetings because I knew that was something I was interested in learning more about,” says Mejia. “I was able to sit in on meetings with food companies, and different stakeholders within technology and instrumentation.”
Mejia found great professional value in seeing how a biotechnology startup works from the inside, and personal value in working for a company focused on environmental issues close to his heart. “In college, I was really involved in environmental activism,” recalls Mejia. “Both my research and in my internship have been centered around environmental protection — something I’m really committed too — and how to apply my understanding of biochemistry to further that work. It’s just really gratifying.”
The research has also given Mejia a new view of his doctoral research. “In my research, I don’t really think about the yeast that the enzyme I am working with came from. I just think about the DNA block that contains the genetic information I’m working with,” reflects Mejia. “It’s been interesting to work with the yeast as an organism and gain a broader view than just a single enzyme.”
Written by Renata Solan.