Project description
On the trail of the most potent enzymes to biodegrade plastic pollution
Mass production of plastics began about 60 years ago. Plastics have provided great convenience regarding food and beverages in addition to enhancing the properties of materials in fields from transport to construction. However, despite years of efforts to establish plastic recycling policies and processes, more than 90 % of plastics – billions of tonnes over the years – have not been recycled. Polyethylene is the most widely used plastic in the world, found in products from plastic food wrap and shopping bags to detergent bottles and automobile fuel tanks. The EU-funded UTPE PEB project is streamlining the search for enzymes that could biodegrade polyethylene efficiently. After selecting the most promising candidates, the team plans to express and optimise them in an evolutionary way, creating a solution to a growing problem for the planet and its varied ecosystems.
Objective
The build-up of plastic pollution is one of the most pressing environmental concerns. Polyethylene (PE), the most abundantly produced plastic polymer, can persist in nature for over a century. The microbial biodegradation of PE that has been observed is slow and inefficient. So far no effort has been undertaken to improve the efficiency of enzymes involved in the biodegradation of PE through directed protein evolution. Standard assays for measuring degradation rates are not sufficiently high-throughput to cover the sequence space required. I propose to use state-of-the-art protein evolution technology to overcome this problem in two ways. First, an ultrahigh-throughput microfluidics based approach, that can associate a given genotype with its phenotype in picoliter sized water-in-oil droplets, will be used to isolate the desired genotypes from a random mutagenesis library. Second, a novel assay for measuring polymer concentration within each droplet based on differential light scattering as the polymer is degraded will assay the PE degradation rate for a given enzyme. These techniques were developed in the research group of the proposed host, Dr. Hollfelder in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge. Using these techniques, I will functionally express and evolutionarily optimise a range of PE degrading enzymes in genetically tractable host strains, creating a chassis to investigate the potential of microbial biodegradation as a solution to plastic waste. Secondments at the EBI, UCL and the SME Drop-Tech will convey practical skills in bioinformatics screens and droplet formation. The host group’s experience in enzyme biotechnology and directed protein evolution as well as its extensive modern facilities for microfluidics, next generation sequencing and flow cytometry will synergize with my personal research experience in synthetic, molecular and microbiology to find a multidisciplinary solution to the growing problem of plastic degradation.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences classical mechanics fluid mechanics microfluidics
- natural sciences chemical sciences polymer sciences
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences environmental sciences pollution
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.