A rapid and sustainable transformative technology for chemical extraction in bioscience research and biomanufacturing

The ability to extract target chemicals from biological samples is essential for a wide range of laboratory activities, from discovery of fundamental biological processes and biosynthetic pathways, to optimisation of strains and culture conditions for the biomanufacturing of high-value chemical products. There are two contexts in which chemicals are extracted in bioscience research:

From end point samples. This is typically performed using liquid-liquid extraction. This is time-consuming and involves large volumes of hazardous solvents (often derived from finite, petrochemical sources), which must be handled within a fume hood, and which require specialist disposal.

Throughout biomanufacturing processes. This continuous extraction can solve some issues like the loss of volatile products, and mitigate the toxic impact of products to microbial cell factories. It is typically achieved using an overlay of an immiscible liquid at 10 % culture volume, into which products accumulate.

However, this approach brings its own issues, including concerns over foaming emulsions, solvent flammability, incompatibility with silicone-based tubing at scale-up, and the presence of contaminants.

More rapid and sustainable methods of chemical extraction are urgently needed, and would present a step-change for discovery bioscience and bioprocess development.

Cyclodextrins are hollow cone-shaped polymers of sugar, which can capture appropriately sized chemicals. This proof-of-principle study will produce and then demonstrate a transformative cyclodextrin-based technology for chemical extraction in the biosciences, which is rapid, low-cost and sustainable, with minimal use of petrochemical-derived solvents.

The technology can be used at both small and large scale, meaning that laboratory bioprocesses can be more easily replicated at industrial volumes. The technology will be demonstrated both for end point chemical extraction from microbial cells, and for product capture throughout two exemplar biomanufacturing processes; flavour/fragrance vanillin from engineered bacteria, and an anti-cancer pharmaceutical from engineered yeast.

The project will generate a wealth of knowledge, tools and resources, benefiting broad communities of academics in discovery bioscience, bioprocessing, microbe engineering, and natural product and cyclodextrin chemistry. It has the potential to transform chemical extraction in discovery bioscience and beyond, offering a more sustainable, scalable and efficient process.

The project is particularly timely considering the global priority to develop net zero processes, and the recent expansion in research on the genetic engineering of microbes for chemical biomanufacturing. This proof-of-principle data will provide the basis of future interdisciplinary research, collaboration and enterprise, with commercialisation opportunities explored in collaboration with the UoE commercialisation service Edinburgh Innovations.