Remodelling encapsulin nanocages to help enhance plant carbon fixation. Nature has evolved mechanisms in microbial systems to improve photosynthetic efficiency by saturating the enzyme Rubisco with carbon dioxide. These carbon concentrating mechanisms are genetically complex, precluding successful introduction into crops. Our simpler approach is to use encapsulins, a new source of robust bacterial pore-containing nanocages made from a single gene. This project will optimise the development of sy ....Remodelling encapsulin nanocages to help enhance plant carbon fixation. Nature has evolved mechanisms in microbial systems to improve photosynthetic efficiency by saturating the enzyme Rubisco with carbon dioxide. These carbon concentrating mechanisms are genetically complex, precluding successful introduction into crops. Our simpler approach is to use encapsulins, a new source of robust bacterial pore-containing nanocages made from a single gene. This project will optimise the development of synthetic encapsulin-Rubisco carbon-fixing nanoreactors and transform them into leaf chloroplasts to test their impact on plant photosynthesis and growth. Our genetically simpler solution will aid ongoing global efforts to deliver overdue step change improvements in agricultural productivity.Read moreRead less
Flipping the mattress: infinite polyurethane recycling by synthetic biology. Australia is covered in billions of tonnes of plastic and yet <10% is recycled today. Polyurethane (PU) is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, from lacquer coatings to elastane clothing to durable foam padding in car seats, cushions and mattresses. Currently, there are few avenues for PU recycling and much ends up in landfill e.g., a single mattress produces 15-20kg of PU foam waste. Luckily, biodegradation of PU can occu ....Flipping the mattress: infinite polyurethane recycling by synthetic biology. Australia is covered in billions of tonnes of plastic and yet <10% is recycled today. Polyurethane (PU) is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, from lacquer coatings to elastane clothing to durable foam padding in car seats, cushions and mattresses. Currently, there are few avenues for PU recycling and much ends up in landfill e.g., a single mattress produces 15-20kg of PU foam waste. Luckily, biodegradation of PU can occur naturally via various microbial means and from insects, like Galleria mellonella larvae. The overall aim of this research project is to understand plastic biodegradation and translate nature’s solutions into flexible and efficient synthetic enzyme technologies that can sustainably recycle commonly used PU foams. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100684
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$433,654.00
Summary
Building a synthetic chemical synapse through harnessed stochasticity. At the molecular level, biology is noisy, and life has evolved a plethora of mechanisms to harness this noise for useful output. If we want to construct de novo living systems to learn more about biology and the origin of life, then we must not ignore noise. This project aims to apply a design philosophy that embraces randomness to construct an artificial chemical synapse. Expected outcomes include creating a blueprint for th ....Building a synthetic chemical synapse through harnessed stochasticity. At the molecular level, biology is noisy, and life has evolved a plethora of mechanisms to harness this noise for useful output. If we want to construct de novo living systems to learn more about biology and the origin of life, then we must not ignore noise. This project aims to apply a design philosophy that embraces randomness to construct an artificial chemical synapse. Expected outcomes include creating a blueprint for the next generation of more dynamic artificial cells, developing vital tools for the elucidation of principles in biophysics and systems biology, and deepening our understanding of how noisy molecular level events have downstream effects on macro-scale behaviours. Several international collaborations are involved.
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Discovery and directed evolution of small molecule biosensors. This project aims to address the need for novel small molecule biosensing capability in diverse fields including food and wine production, environmental monitoring, biocatalysis, and diagnostics using a synthetic biology approach. The significance of this work is the development of new biosensors by a strong interdisciplinary team contributing bioinformatics to identify new biosensors, innovative protein engineering approaches, and c ....Discovery and directed evolution of small molecule biosensors. This project aims to address the need for novel small molecule biosensing capability in diverse fields including food and wine production, environmental monitoring, biocatalysis, and diagnostics using a synthetic biology approach. The significance of this work is the development of new biosensors by a strong interdisciplinary team contributing bioinformatics to identify new biosensors, innovative protein engineering approaches, and cutting-edge directed evolution methodologies. Intended outcomes include enhanced institutional capacity for interdisciplinary collaboration; discovery of fundamentally important bacterial sensors; and development of synthetic regulatory circuits enabling outgrowth of non-biological biocatalysis industries.Read moreRead less
Mid-Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IM230100154
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,049,904.00
Summary
Fungi Power: Designer Fungal Cell Factories for Advanced Biomanufacturing. This project aims to build an advanced biomanufacturing platform based on filamentous fungi in collaboration with industry. Using synthetic biology, the project expects to engineer superior fungal host strains customisable to the needs of the industry and to address their technological gaps. The expected outcomes include the development of cost-efficient and sustainable fungal-based bioprocesses for the companies to produ ....Fungi Power: Designer Fungal Cell Factories for Advanced Biomanufacturing. This project aims to build an advanced biomanufacturing platform based on filamentous fungi in collaboration with industry. Using synthetic biology, the project expects to engineer superior fungal host strains customisable to the needs of the industry and to address their technological gaps. The expected outcomes include the development of cost-efficient and sustainable fungal-based bioprocesses for the companies to produce products, such as fine chemicals, pharmaceutical actives and food ingredients. The project would provide significant benefits by enabling existing and emerging companies' commercial successes and competitiveness in global markets, creating new jobs and resulting in the growth of the bio-economy in Australia.Read moreRead less