The microbe E. coli gets a bad rap in the food industry, but in the chemical engineering field, it is one of the most important microorganisms for producing amino acids, bioethanol, vitamins and more. Researchers in Penn State’s Chemical and Biological Systems Optimization Lab have developed a near genome-scale kinetic model of Escherichia coli’s metabolic processes, which will allow scientists to quickly and efficiently use computer modeling to predict the effects that multiple gene interventions have on the microbial factories.