Mr. Huynh Cong Khanh of the Graduate School of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences received the Best Presentation Award from the Nishinihon Branch of the Japanese Society of Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry at the 61st Joint Meeting of Chemis

　Mr. Huynh Cong Khanh, a third-year doctoral student in the Environmental Bioengineering Laboratory, Department of Environmental and Marine Resources, Graduate School of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences, received the Best Presentation Award (Poster Presentation) at the 61st Joint Meeting of Chemistry-Related Branches in Kyushu, which is held as the Nishinihon Branch Meeting of the Japanese Society of Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry on June 29, 2024, in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan.
　The title of the awarded research is “Proline production in engineered Halomonas elongata.” For adaptation to high-salinity environments, the moderately halophilic bacterium Halomonas elongata is known to produce ectoine, an aspartic acid-derived amino acid, as a compatible solute. Ectoine has multiple functions, such as intracellular osmotic regulation, scavenging of reactive oxygen species, and protective effects on enzymes and other biomolecules.

　Focusing on the ability of H. elongata to adapt to high salt concentrations, Dr. Huynh Cong Khanh, under the guidance of Professor Hideki Nakayama in the Environmental Bioengineering Laboratory, has succeeded in engineering H. elongata that produces proline, a glutamic acid-derived amino acid, as a compatible solute instead of ectoine. H. elongata has an excellent ability to assimilate various carbon and nitrogen sources derived from biomass, and the Environmental Bioengineering Laboratory is developing Halomonas cell factories that upcycle unused waste biomass, such as food processing residues and agricultural, forestry, and fisheries waste, into valuable amino acids, including ectoine and proline.

Proline is known as a feeding stimulant for yellowtail, a specialty of Nagasaki Prefecture. It is expected to contribute to the development of low-fishmeal feed as part of the "Nagasaki Blue Economy" research project in the area of regional co-creation under the Program on the Open Innovation Platform for Academia-Industry Co-creation (COI-NEXT), which Nagasaki University is leading. The presentation was highly praised and received the Excellent Presentation Award.

Commemorative photo of the award ceremony of the Nishinihon Branch of the  Japanese  Society of Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry (back row, far right: Mr. Huynh Cong Khanh)

(Source: http://nishinihon.jsbba.or.jp/awards/20240629-2.html)

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