Biology faculty awarded NSF: EDGE grant

Douglas Risser, Ph.D.

After being selected for a substantive U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, Douglas Risser, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology, will spend the next few years developing genomic tools for better understanding a cyanobacterium and its makeup.

Awarded by the NSF through their “Enabling Discovery through GEnomics” (EDGE) program, the “Functional genomics tools for the filamentous cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme” grant provides Risser with $701,884 to continue his research into the organism, some of which he’s already laid the foundation for.

“The EDGE program ​funds ​labs ​to ​develop ​new ​genetic ​tools ​to ​do ​genetic ​manipulation ​on less ​traditional and less understood ​model ​organisms,” said Risser. “We’ve ​done ​a ​lot ​of ​the ​groundwork ​and ​putting in ​the ​preliminary ​data ​to ​show ​that ​these ​tools ​are ​feasible. ​One ​of ​the main ​goals ​is ​to ​build ​a ​comprehensive ​transposon ​library, ​which ​will ​allow ​us ​to ​basically ​identify ​all ​the ​genes ​in ​the ​genome ​that ​are ​associated ​with ​a ​function. ​We’ve ​already ​built ​out ​the ​tool ​somewhat and ​tested it ​with ​a ​small ​library, so ​now the ​goal ​is ​just ​to ​do ​that ​on ​a ​much ​larger ​scale.”

Risser’s project will involve not only the development of the genomic tools, but also the development of training materials for use in other labs, opportunities for students to participate in research and an exhibition at the Colorado Springs Cool Science Festival. Potential future applications for this cyanobacterium include a natural sunscreen, improved fertilizer formulas and potential biofuel uses.

Additionally, this undertaking allows for exponential advances in the current knowledge of this cyanobacterium, an exciting aspect for Risser.

“I’ve ​been ​working ​with ​this ​organism ​ever ​since ​I ​started ​my ​postdoc in ​2009, ​so ​about ​15 ​years, ​and ​we’ve ​made ​a ​lot ​of ​progress ​but ​the ​types ​of ​tools ​we’ve ​been ​using ​are ​a ​​bit ​outdated,” said Risser. “Being able to move ​to ​very ​modern, ​high-throughput ​tool ​sets ​will ​drastically ​open ​up ​the ​amount ​of ​work ​we ​can ​do and things we ​can ​learn. Once the transposon library is built and ready for use in about two years, I’ll be able to do more than I have in the past nine years. And ​we ​can ​apply ​this ​library ​to ​do ​lots ​of ​other ​things, ​so ​the ​speed ​with ​which ​we ​will ​be ​able ​to ​learn ​about ​this ​organism ​is ​going ​to ​increase ​dramatically.”