Development of a novel high yield cell-free protein expression system. Recombinant proteins are used as vaccines, drugs, and research tools, as well as food and detergent additives, comprising a A$100 billion international market. Their production requires laborious, expensive, and time-consuming construction of transgenic organisms or cells. Alternatively, recombinant proteins can be produced in extracts prepared from cells or organisms. The aim of this proposal is to develop a new technology t ....Development of a novel high yield cell-free protein expression system. Recombinant proteins are used as vaccines, drugs, and research tools, as well as food and detergent additives, comprising a A$100 billion international market. Their production requires laborious, expensive, and time-consuming construction of transgenic organisms or cells. Alternatively, recombinant proteins can be produced in extracts prepared from cells or organisms. The aim of this proposal is to develop a new technology that will make cell-free production of recombinant proteins rapid, cheap, and scalable. This will advance Australia’s intellectual leadership in the area of biotechnology and will bring numerous economic benefits by accelerating pharmaceutical development. Read moreRead less
Developing an integrated systems and synthetic biology platform to expand the product spectrum of acetogens. This project aims to advance a waste gas fermentation process to enable the production of sustainable aviation fuel molecules for the first time. LanzaTech are world leaders in microbial gas fermentation and have produced ethanol at large scale in China. This project aims to combine the LanzaTech process with systems biology expertise at The University of Queensland to go beyond ethanol t ....Developing an integrated systems and synthetic biology platform to expand the product spectrum of acetogens. This project aims to advance a waste gas fermentation process to enable the production of sustainable aviation fuel molecules for the first time. LanzaTech are world leaders in microbial gas fermentation and have produced ethanol at large scale in China. This project aims to combine the LanzaTech process with systems biology expertise at The University of Queensland to go beyond ethanol to deliver new value-added products such as butanediol and farnesene. To achieve this aim the project will explore, understand and overcome fundamental energy and metabolic limitations in the production microorganism. Achieving the aims will be of direct relevance to SkyNRG and the new Brisbane Bioport on their path to deliver sustainable fuel to Brisbane Airport.Read moreRead less
Universal transcriptome editing technologies. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is life’s most essential molecule – as no living cell or virus can function without it. Although RNA plays many critical roles in cells, from information transfer and regulation of gene expression to scaffolding macromolecular structures and catalysis, the current approaches to manipulate RNA for technological purposes are limited in many respects. This project brings together the scientists who were the first to discover a uni ....Universal transcriptome editing technologies. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is life’s most essential molecule – as no living cell or virus can function without it. Although RNA plays many critical roles in cells, from information transfer and regulation of gene expression to scaffolding macromolecular structures and catalysis, the current approaches to manipulate RNA for technological purposes are limited in many respects. This project brings together the scientists who were the first to discover a universal code for recognition of RNA by proteins and one of the world’s leading RNA-focused biotechnology companies, Locana Biosciences, with the goal of providing robust and versatile tools to target RNA in diverse organisms.Read moreRead less
Ancestral enzyme engineering for designer fat products. Consumers are increasingly turning to plant-based alternatives of meat and dairy products due to concerns about health, animal welfare and sustainability. Taste, nutritional profile, protein content and limited variety are barriers that continue to challenge food manufacturers. This project aims to develop a process for the fermentation of specialty food oils and fats from agriculture production waste, that can deliver the flavour and nutri ....Ancestral enzyme engineering for designer fat products. Consumers are increasingly turning to plant-based alternatives of meat and dairy products due to concerns about health, animal welfare and sustainability. Taste, nutritional profile, protein content and limited variety are barriers that continue to challenge food manufacturers. This project aims to develop a process for the fermentation of specialty food oils and fats from agriculture production waste, that can deliver the flavour and nutritional benefits of meat and dairy products when added to plant-based alternatives. The outcomes should valorise existing agriculture and food waste, converting waste materials into valuable food ingredients.Read moreRead less
Protein biosensors for detecting smoke exposure of grapes. Bush fires and controlled burns that take place in the vicinity of vineyards can lead to grape contamination with tasteless phenolic glucosides. Their hydrolysis during wine making leads to “smoke taint” – an unpleasant medicinal taste that can render wine undrinkable. We will apply a combination of organic synthesis, protein engineering and directed evolution to develop protein-based biosensors of phenolic glucosides. These biosensors w ....Protein biosensors for detecting smoke exposure of grapes. Bush fires and controlled burns that take place in the vicinity of vineyards can lead to grape contamination with tasteless phenolic glucosides. Their hydrolysis during wine making leads to “smoke taint” – an unpleasant medicinal taste that can render wine undrinkable. We will apply a combination of organic synthesis, protein engineering and directed evolution to develop protein-based biosensors of phenolic glucosides. These biosensors will be used to devise a simple portable colorimetric test that can be performed in the vineyard or the winery. The ability to rapidly determine the level of grape contamination with phenolic glucosides would give Australian wine growers and wine makers a powerful tool to mitigate the effects of bushfires.Read moreRead less
Heterologous expression of cyanobacterial compounds of analytical and therapeutic value. The project team has previously discovered the genetic basis for toxin production in cyanobacteria and algae. This project aims to define the biochemical pathways of the unique biosynthetic enzymes involved in alkaloid and cyclic peptide toxin production in these microorganisms. Via the development of large-gene cloning strategies, the toxins will be produced in a stable, sustainable and secure fermentation ....Heterologous expression of cyanobacterial compounds of analytical and therapeutic value. The project team has previously discovered the genetic basis for toxin production in cyanobacteria and algae. This project aims to define the biochemical pathways of the unique biosynthetic enzymes involved in alkaloid and cyclic peptide toxin production in these microorganisms. Via the development of large-gene cloning strategies, the toxins will be produced in a stable, sustainable and secure fermentation system. These compounds will be critical for standardising toxin detection methods in water supplies globally and for assessing their bioactivities in humans and other animals. Research students and the industry partner will also be trained to apply these novel biotechnologies for the production of other drug-like molecules.Read moreRead less
Unleashing the Hidden Chemical Diversity in Australian Fungi. This project aims to exploit an exclusive genomic resource consisting of >150 unique Australian filamentous fungi that has been built in a university-industry collaboration for genomic-guided biodiscovery. The genome sequence of these fungi revealed extensive hidden genetic instructions for production of novel biologically active molecules. The project will apply cutting-edge synthetic biology and chemical tools to tap into the hidden ....Unleashing the Hidden Chemical Diversity in Australian Fungi. This project aims to exploit an exclusive genomic resource consisting of >150 unique Australian filamentous fungi that has been built in a university-industry collaboration for genomic-guided biodiscovery. The genome sequence of these fungi revealed extensive hidden genetic instructions for production of novel biologically active molecules. The project will apply cutting-edge synthetic biology and chemical tools to tap into the hidden genomic potential of these Australian fungi. Expected outcomes of this project include new fine chemicals and lead molecules with desirable bioactivies. This will provide significant benefits to Australia's economy through the discovery of new pharmaceuticals, veterinary products and agrichemicals.Read moreRead less
In vitro expression of macrocyclic peptides. This project aims to develop a novel strategy for the production of polypeptides with unnatural chemical groups using a sense codon reassignment approach. Novel peptides could be used in a range of pharmaceutical applications. Peptides made of 20 natural amino acids cover only a very small fraction of the available chemical and functional space. While a peptide’s functionality can be extended with unnatural amino acids, the methods for their site-sele ....In vitro expression of macrocyclic peptides. This project aims to develop a novel strategy for the production of polypeptides with unnatural chemical groups using a sense codon reassignment approach. Novel peptides could be used in a range of pharmaceutical applications. Peptides made of 20 natural amino acids cover only a very small fraction of the available chemical and functional space. While a peptide’s functionality can be extended with unnatural amino acids, the methods for their site-selective incorporation are inefficient. The project’s strategy relies on the depletion of selected tRNAs from an in vitro protein translation system and their replacement with synthetic tRNAs, charged with unnatural amino acids. It is expected that the developed technology could be used to rapidly generate and screen highly diversified macrocyclic peptide libraries.Read moreRead less
A novel platform for the biosynthesis of commercially valuable saxitoxins. Saxitoxins are potent microbial toxins, which pose a significant threat to food and water quality. Highly pure saxitoxins are required for environmental monitoring and studies of cell physiology. Certain analogues have also shown promise as long-lasting and non-addictive pain blockers. However, the procurement of these compounds from natural sources is convoluted and unsustainable. This project aims to use the latest synt ....A novel platform for the biosynthesis of commercially valuable saxitoxins. Saxitoxins are potent microbial toxins, which pose a significant threat to food and water quality. Highly pure saxitoxins are required for environmental monitoring and studies of cell physiology. Certain analogues have also shown promise as long-lasting and non-addictive pain blockers. However, the procurement of these compounds from natural sources is convoluted and unsustainable. This project aims to use the latest synthetic biology techniques to characterise, modify and express saxitoxin biosynthesis pathways, thereby providing a sustainable source of toxin analogues of value to industry and research. This novel 'green technology' will benefit the environment, human health and the Australian economy.Read moreRead less
Engineering cyanobacteria for high-value flavours and fragrances production. Engineering the metabolism of cyanobacteria for industrial production of flavours and fragrances has great commercial potential. Cyanobacteria capture more than 25% of the planet’s carbon. Due to their native metabolism and capacity to express complex plant proteins, they represent an attractive Synthetic Biology platform for the biosynthesis of flavours and fragrances. Combining physiological strain characterisation an ....Engineering cyanobacteria for high-value flavours and fragrances production. Engineering the metabolism of cyanobacteria for industrial production of flavours and fragrances has great commercial potential. Cyanobacteria capture more than 25% of the planet’s carbon. Due to their native metabolism and capacity to express complex plant proteins, they represent an attractive Synthetic Biology platform for the biosynthesis of flavours and fragrances. Combining physiological strain characterisation and ‘omics studies, new Synthetic Biology strategies and models will be developed. The project aims at engineering a suite of modified freshwater and marine cyanobacteria for flavours and fragrances biosynthesis. The project aims at enabling solar biomanufacturing to underpin the emergence of an advanced Australian bioeconomy.Read moreRead less