Research Group Synthetic Biotechnology and Systems Biology

Classical metabolic engineering consists of switching off and amplifying individual reactions in a targeted manner in metabolic networks of production strains in order to optimize the biosynthesis of a target molecule. Although considerable success can be achieved using this technology, the range of molecules that can be produced in this way is limited to natural metabolic products.

Synthetic Biotechnology and Systems Biology

In order to expand the range of microbially usable substrates and producible products, we design synthetic metabolic pathways and implement them by engineering enzymes and production strains in a targeted manner.

A main focus of our work is the establishment of synthetic metabolic pathways for the utilization of green ethylene glycol (EG), which can be produced (electro)chemically from_CO2 or by hydrogenolysis of lignocelluloses. Compared to other microbial substrates that can be derived from_CO2, such as methane, synthesis gas or methanol, EG has a number of technical process advantages. These lie in particular in the avoidance of the phase transition of the substrate, the low oxygen demand of EG assimilation and an advantageous stoichiometry of the synthetic metabolic pathways for the production of even-numbered molecules. Overall, this technology should make the use of_CO2 and biomass in the circular economy more attractive.

In addition, we are developing enzyme systems for the cell-free regeneration of ATP from low-cost basic chemicals. These systems can be coupled with a variety of ATP-dependent enzymatic product syntheses and will be used, for example, in the field of cell-free protein expression.

In our work, we apply modern computational methods (flux balance analysis, modeling of enzyme structures) and experimental techniques^(13C-basedmetabolic flux analysis, metabolome analysis, rational and evolutionary enzyme design) to efficiently realize the implementation of metabolic pathways and strain development.

Enzyme / Flux — 3D-Modell eines Enzyms und metabolisches Netzwerk

Focus areas:

Synthetic metabolic pathways for the utilization of ethylene glycol (derived from_CO2 or lignocellulose) for microbial product syntheses
Systems biology characterization of production strains and cell systems
Development of ATP-regenerating enzyme cascades for cell-free reaction systems
ESFplus junior research group CARBONCYCLE

Projects of the Bioprocess Engineering research group:

All research projects of the Chair of Bioprocess Engineering

ScampiLys - Production of lysine from shrimp waste (cooperation with Hanoi University of Science and Technology, funded by BMBF)
SynBioMet - Use of synthetic biology for the production of 2,4-dihydroxybutyrate (cooperation with ESPCI Paris, INSA Toulouse, Adisseo, funded by SAB)
Enzyme cascades for cell-free ATP regeneration for the synthesis of valuable substances (funded by ZIM and DFG, cooperation with c-LEcta and University of Hamburg)
Development of a synthetic metabolic pathway for the carbon-conserving production of acetyl-CoA from ethylene glycol (funded by the DFG)
Enzyme cascades for cell-free ATP regeneration for the synthesis of valuable substances (funded by ZIM, cooperation with c-LEcta)
CoBioMetal - Combined biotechnological and electrochemical wastewater valorization for metal recovery. Sub-project: Systems biology study of fungal strains during metal recovery from process wastewater (funded by the SAB, cooperation with TU Bergakademie Freiberg)
KoSyn - Controlled synergy: Peptide-controlled cell-cell communication of yeasts and bacteria in (bio)technological processes (funded by the ESF, cooperation between the Chairs of General Genetics, General Microbiology, Hydrochemistry, all TU Dresden)

Research group leader: