Project description
Novel biosensors for the microbial production factories
Microbial cell factories represent an economical and sustainable alternative for the production of pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals. The lack of high-throughput methods for monitoring product accumulation is one of the obstacles in this process. The EU-funded GPCR-Sensor project aims to use G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), the eukaryotes' environmental sensors, to create a versatile in vivo biosensor. The research will apply synthetic biology and an interdisciplinary approach to develop a yeast-based GPCR biosensor for the engineering of enzymes and production hosts. The modular biosensor structure will allow any GPCR to be plugged in, enabling a variety of applications, both biomedical and environmental.
Objective
Microbial cell factories are an economical and sustainable alternative for the production of pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals and other valuable chemicals. However, establishing efficient cell factories requires optimized production strains and efficient biosynthetic enzymes, and involves extensive protein and metabolic engineering to achieve industrially relevant yields. One of the main hurdles frequently encountered in this process is the lack of high-throughput methods for monitoring product accumulation. To overcome this limitation, I will harness G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), the unique molecular entities that eukaryotes use to sense their environment, to create a versatile in vivo biosensor. I will apply synthetic biology principles and an interdisciplinary approach to develop a yeast-based GPCR biosensor for the engineering of enzymes and production hosts. However, enzyme engineering is only one of the potential applications of GPCR-sensor. Its modular structure permits plugging in any GPCR, enabling a great variety of other powerful applications including bio-medical applications, such as recognition of pathogen epitopes, molecular diagnostics and drug discovery, or environmental applications, such as determining the presence of pollutants from environmental samples. In the GPCR-sensor project, I will combine my knowledge in natural product biosynthesis and enzymology with training in biochemical engineering and biotechnology to acquire a unique expertise that will help me establish my own unique line of research. Furthermore, the comprehensive professional development program, that is an integral part of GPCR-sensor, includes close mentoring in addition to training in fund-rising, research management, communication, teaching and academic leadership. These skills that are Instrumental for launching my future independent internationally competitive research career
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologymetabolic engineering
- engineering and technologychemical engineeringbiochemical engineering
- engineering and technologyenvironmental biotechnologybiosensing
- natural sciencesbiological sciencessynthetic biology
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsenzymes
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinator
1165 Kobenhavn
Denmark