Designing a microbial cell factory for chemicals production from sugar and carbon dioxide

Purpose and goal:

The project concerns design of a versatile microbial platform using synthetic biology for production of building blocks for chemicals and materials from residual lignocelluloses and waste gases, through collaboration with researchers in Singapore. Goal is to overcome fossil dependence and greenhouse gas emissions of the chemicals and materials industry by developing alternative robust solutions based on renewable feedstock to enable the industry to meet the net zero emission target by 2050.

Expected results and effects:

We hope to establish a long-term collaboration with researchers active in the field of synthetic biology at a Singapore University and learn from their experience to develop the needed infrastructure in Sweden and to increase the impact of our research, enhance technology development and innovation in circular bioeconomy and mitigation of climate change. Specifically, the project will result in a microbial system for production of a renewable building block for a plastic with many applications.

Approach and implementation:

The project will focus on Clostridium species for building the platform due to its capability to utilize different sugars and CO2 as carbon source and to produce various useful chemicals. The work will involve in silico studies and simulations to develop modular vectors for screening and assembly of bio-parts and genes. After discussions with researchers in Singapore, further work on building and testing the platform will be planned.