Living Color – Bacterial Dyes for a Greener Fashion Industry

Research project for E.Biodye, led by Diego Hernández, where I contributed as a volunteer. Targeting one of the fashion industry’s most polluting stages—textile dyeing—we explored a sustainable alternative to synthetic dyes by developing a bacterial expression and industrial-scale production system for Red Fluorescent Protein (RFP). Using the Tn7 transposon for stable, antibiotic-free recombinant expression in E. coli, I worked on optimizing bioreactor feed strategies and testing cost-effective purification methods, including protein encapsulation and spray-drying. This collaborative effort aimed to reduce environmental impact while enabling efficient, scalable manufacturing of eco-friendly biodyes.