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A new grant from the National Science Foundation will allow a collaborative group of researchers — led by South ��ֱ���� State University associate professor Nicholas Butzin —to study and identify molecules that can neutralize harmful microbes. 

Microbes are tiny organisms that are far too small to see with the naked eye, but they play a big role in a variety of natural processes. Researchers harness microbes for useful processes, like fermentation, but these microscopic organisms can also be harmful.

In a new National Science Foundation-backed project, researchers from South ��ֱ���� State University, South ��ֱ���� Mines and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, will neutralize harmful microbes by harnessing the power of bioactive molecules. The four-year project, led by SDSU associate professor Nicholas Butzin, will leverage artificial intelligence tools to accelerate the discovery of these molecules. 

“This award equips SDSU, UNLV and Mines with powerful new tools for small molecule discovery," Butzin said. "Expanding SDSU’s infrastructure in antimicrobial research, AI platforms, and hands-on student training to develop the next generation of scientists through interdisciplinary collaboration."

In agricultural production, some types of microbes — particularly certain types of fungi and bacteria — can inflict biotic stress on crops, often creating crop or soil disease. Aspergillus is a type of fungus that can grow on corn, peanut and cotton crops. As the fungus grows, one of the most potent naturally occurring toxins — aflatoxin — is produced. This toxin can wipe out entire corn fields and even poses a significant threat to ��ֱ����s and humans.

One of the focuses of this project will be to identify a molecule that can neutralize aflatoxin.

Harmful microbes can present problems in human health and food safety. Another focus of this project is to develop novel microbial agents to kill bacteria and prevent biofilms from forming in food production areas. Biofilms are groups of microbes that stick together and can embed in hard-to-clean areas. Biofilms are especially problematic in food production facilities and are one of the ways salmonella and other foodborne illnesses enter the food supply.

Butzin, a faculty member in SDSU's College of Natural Sciences, will collaborate with Rajesh Sani, a professor in South ��ֱ���� Mines' Karen M. Swindler Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Boo Shan Tseng, associate professor in UNLV's Department of Life Sciences, and SDSU faculty members Xijin Ge and Eun Heui Kim. Sani brings a significant amount of expertise in bioprocessing and biofilms to the research team, while Tseng is an expert in biofilms and bacteria in multicellular communities.

“By mining life at the extremes, we are uncovering resilient small molecules capable of shutting down the enzymes that drive fungal mycotoxins such as aflatoxin,” Sani said. “Leveraging our more than 600 thermophile strains, advanced metabolomics and AI-powered screening, we aim to deliver stable, scalable inhibitors that work where conventional approaches fail — protecting harvests, food safety and human health, from lab to field for producers worldwide.”

This marks Sani’s fifth EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program: Focused EPSCoR Collaborations (FEC) award in the past eight years.

“I am incredibly excited about the opportunities it brings,” Sani added.

The research is expected to produce a generative artificial intelligence platform that can rapidly screen for small molecules targeted at key microbial proteins. The platform will accelerate the discovery of new antimicrobial agents, laying the foundation for future advances in biosafety solutions and human and ��ֱ���� health.

"This research is very important for our society," Tseng said. "There are very few new antibiotic and anti-biofilm drugs to combat harmful bacteria. By using AI to help us identify small molecules that bind to proteins the microbes need to survive, make aflatoxin, and form biofilms, we expect to find molecules that can be developed into drugs to combat the negative effects of these microbes."

The work is expected to have a significant workforce development component by providing interdisciplinary training for students, mentorship for early career faculty members, and professional workshops for rural K-12 teachers.

NSF has invested $2.191 million for SDSU's portion of the project, with $5 million invested in total. The funding is part of a larger $29 million investment from NSF to strengthen research capacity and drive translational research in states historically underfunded in federal research.

"These Focused EPSCoR Collaborations awards are an example of NSF’s commitment to ensuring that all states and jurisdictions across the United States have the opportunity to be part of our research enterprise and benefit from the jobs and economic prosperity that result from American innovation," Brian Stone, performing the duties of the NSF director, said in a press release. "These multistate collaborative teams are tackling real-world research challenges that matter to the citizens of their regions while also building competitive research environments for the entire nation."