Contact Dr Camila Utsunomia
Background
Dr Camila Utsunomia is a Biotechnologist with a BSc from the Federal University of São Carlos (Brazil), an MSc in Genetics and Molecular Biology from the State University of Campinas (Brazil), and a PhD from Hokkaido University (Japan), funded by the Japanese Government through the MEXT Scholarship program. Her doctoral research focused on engineering bacteria for the biosynthesis and extracellular production of biopolyester precursors.
Following her PhD, Dr Utsunomia held a postdoctoral position at HES-SO Valais-Wallis (Switzerland), advancing bioprocessing strategies for polyhydroxyalkanoate production and supporting student supervision. She also worked as a Research Scientist at the Brazilian National Laboratory of Biorenewables (LNBR) in agricultural biotechnology. Prior to Cranfield, Dr Utsunomia was a Senior Scientist at Shellworks (UK), leading biotechnology efforts in sustainable polymer development.
Current activities
Dr Utsunomia is currently a team member of the OlinWASTE project, funded by Horizon Europe and developed by a consortium of leading universities, research institutes, and industry partners. The project aims to transform the biorefinery sector by establishing an integrated, zero-emission system for the valorisation of olive mill waste. Within this initiative, Dr Utsunomia leads the development of a biological phototrophic process designed to treat liquid digestate and biorefinery effluents. This process has a dual objective: the recovery of bioplastics and the removal of macronutrients, contributing to a circular and sustainable bioeconomy.
Publications
Articles In Journals
- Utsunomia C, Ren Q & Zinn M. (2020). Poly(4-Hydroxybutyrate): Current State and Perspectives. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 8
- Hanik N, Utsunomia C, Arai S, Matsumoto K & Zinn M. (2019). Influence of Unusual Co-substrates on the Biosynthesis of Medium-Chain-Length Polyhydroxyalkanoates Produced in Multistage Chemostat. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 7
- Matsumoto K, Iijima M, Hori C, Utsunomia C, Ooi T, .... (2018). In Vitro Analysis of
d -Lactyl-CoA-Polymerizing Polyhydroxyalkanoate Synthase in Polylactate and Poly(lactate-co-3-hydroxybutyrate) Syntheses. Biomacromolecules, 19(7) - Utsunomia C, Saito T, Matsumoto K, Hori C, Isono T, .... (2017). Synthesis of lactate (LA)-based poly(ester-urethane) using hydroxyl-terminated LA-based oligomers from a microbial secretion system. Journal of Polymer Research, 24(10)
- Utsunomia C, Matsumoto K, Date S, Hori C & Taguchi S. (2017). Microbial secretion of lactate-enriched oligomers for efficient conversion into lactide: A biological shortcut to polylactide. Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering, 124(2)
- Utsunomia C, Matsumoto K & Taguchi S. (2017). Microbial Secretion of D-Lactate-Based Oligomers. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 5(3)
- Utsunomia C, Hori C, Matsumoto K & Taguchi S. (2017). Investigation of the Escherichia coli membrane transporters involved in the secretion of d-lactate-based oligomers by loss-of-function screening. Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering, 124(6)
- Sun J, Utsunomia C, Sasaki S, Matsumoto K, Yamada T, .... (2016). Microbial production of poly(lactate-co-3-hydroxybutyrate) from hybrid Miscanthus-derived sugars. Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, 80(4)
Books
- Utsunomia C, Hanik N & Zinn M. (2020). Biosynthesis and Sequence Control of scl-PHA and mcl-PHA In The Handbook of Polyhydroxyalkanoates. CRC Press.
- Amstutz V, Hanik N, Pott J, Utsunomia C & Zinn M. (2019). Tailored biosynthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates in chemostat cultures In Methods in Enzymology (627). Elsevier.
- Amstutz V, Hanik N, Pott J, Utsunomia C & Zinn M. (2019). Chapter Four Tailored biosynthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates in chemostat cultures In Enzymatic Polymerizations (627). Elsevier.
- Utsunomia C & Taguchi S. (2018). Microbial Secretion System of Lactate-Based Oligomers and Its Application In ACS Symposium Series (1310). American Chemical Society.