Periodic Reporting for period 2 - NaCRe (Nature-inspired Circular Recycling for Polymers)
Reporting period: 2022-07-01 to 2023-12-31
NaCRe (Nature Inspired Circular Recycling) is a project that aims at developing recycling approaches for biological and soft matter that are inspired by the way Nature recycles proteins when a rapid turn around is needed. We can first clarify that a protein is a sequence-defined polymer, that is a long macromolecule composed of a specific sequence of building blocks called amino acids. When a living being feeds it ingest a random mixture of proteins these are digested into amino acids, these are then used by the cell machinery to produce new proteins. It is important to notice that these initial mixtures is quite random (digestible proteins) and that the produced proteins are not related to the eaten ones they are the proteins that the cell needs in that specific moment, furthermore the produced proteins are indistinguishable from any other protein, i.e. there is no loss of quality in the proces. We can contrast this approach to recycling to our approach to recycling polymers, almost always we need to separate polymers depending on their chemical composition (we cannot afford a random mixture) and then we either produce again the starting materials (almost always at a loss of quality) or we produce a chemical substance (alas always the same) to be re-used in creating other molecules.
NaCRe’s ambition is to reproduce Nature’s approach to recycling in laboratory settings, we plan to do so in (1) proteins, (2) DNA, and finally possibly also (3) in synthetic polymers.
In proteins the ambition is to start from a random mixture of proteins, especially focusing on proteins that are used as materials (e.g. silk) and to produce a new protein that has nothing to do with the initial one. The goals would be to produce a protein that itself can be used as a material. To achieve this goal the process must be efficient and scalable to quantities that allow for the building of a material whose properties can be tested.
For DNA the goal is to show that a new this type of recycling can be performed with any sequence defined polymers.
The final -very ambitious- goals would be to try to produce a synthetic equivalent of protein and DNA. The true goal of NaCRe is to propose to the community a new approach to recycling that is inspired by Nature and has clear advantages relative to what we do currently.
NaCRe’s ambition is to reproduce Nature’s approach to recycling in laboratory settings, we plan to do so in (1) proteins, (2) DNA, and finally possibly also (3) in synthetic polymers.
In proteins the ambition is to start from a random mixture of proteins, especially focusing on proteins that are used as materials (e.g. silk) and to produce a new protein that has nothing to do with the initial one. The goals would be to produce a protein that itself can be used as a material. To achieve this goal the process must be efficient and scalable to quantities that allow for the building of a material whose properties can be tested.
For DNA the goal is to show that a new this type of recycling can be performed with any sequence defined polymers.
The final -very ambitious- goals would be to try to produce a synthetic equivalent of protein and DNA. The true goal of NaCRe is to propose to the community a new approach to recycling that is inspired by Nature and has clear advantages relative to what we do currently.
The project is structured in three work packages that we can shortly call Biology, Robotics, and Chemistry.
The Biology work package’s goals were to recycle in the laboratory proteins and DNA. We have successfully recycled proteins in the laboratory and have recently successfully scaled up the process to the milligrams scale. We the proteins achieved we have been able to produce a hydrogel.
We have also successfully recycled DNA showing that is possible to start from inexpensive calf DNA and convert it in any DNA desired. We have also shown that a slight modification of the technique allows for the recycling of the genetic material in PCR (polymerase chain reaction) kits.
In the Robotics work package we are try to develop a completely automated process to perform the optimization of all of the steps that are needed in this type of recycling. We have successfully built and implemented a robot that has the capabilities to perform this task. We have tested the robot by developing an approach to measure the CMC (critical micelle concentration) for a system. We are currently using it for optimization purpose.
In the Chemistry work package we have a goal to learn from Biology and try to develop synthetic polymers that could be recycled via a NaCRe process. The first step has been that of developing three classes of polymers that are (a) very different among them but that (b) can be depolymerized all together starting from a random mixture and then (c) repolymerized completely orthogonally. We have achieved in this goal we are now characterizing well all the polymers used and the efficiencies in the process. We will then move towards more complex systems.
The Biology work package’s goals were to recycle in the laboratory proteins and DNA. We have successfully recycled proteins in the laboratory and have recently successfully scaled up the process to the milligrams scale. We the proteins achieved we have been able to produce a hydrogel.
We have also successfully recycled DNA showing that is possible to start from inexpensive calf DNA and convert it in any DNA desired. We have also shown that a slight modification of the technique allows for the recycling of the genetic material in PCR (polymerase chain reaction) kits.
In the Robotics work package we are try to develop a completely automated process to perform the optimization of all of the steps that are needed in this type of recycling. We have successfully built and implemented a robot that has the capabilities to perform this task. We have tested the robot by developing an approach to measure the CMC (critical micelle concentration) for a system. We are currently using it for optimization purpose.
In the Chemistry work package we have a goal to learn from Biology and try to develop synthetic polymers that could be recycled via a NaCRe process. The first step has been that of developing three classes of polymers that are (a) very different among them but that (b) can be depolymerized all together starting from a random mixture and then (c) repolymerized completely orthogonally. We have achieved in this goal we are now characterizing well all the polymers used and the efficiencies in the process. We will then move towards more complex systems.
At present NaCRe has shown for the first time that it is possible to recycle a random mixture of proteins into a completely different protein that in turn can be used as a new material or as a biochemical compound. The independence from the starting material’s mixture and the versatility in the product make this results a conceptual progress beyond the state of the art.
The goal is now to expand on this result so to convince the community that sequence defined polymers hold a great potential in the quest for fully sustainable soft materials.
The goal is now to expand on this result so to convince the community that sequence defined polymers hold a great potential in the quest for fully sustainable soft materials.