Theme 3

29 May 2018

Enhance our understanding of how biochemical pathways operate in a synthetic biology context, how they are controlled, and how they can be engineered to enhance the metabolic ability of the host cell.

The scientific objective of Theme 3 is aimed at increasing our understanding of how synthetic biology and biochemical pathways operate, how they are controlled, and how they can be engineered to enhance the metabolic ability of the host cell. Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology relate to the rewiring or rewriting of the genetic code, enhancing and creating things that are beyond the range of existing biology. To begin with, this may involve the engineering of a metabolic pathway into an organism in which it does not exist, or perhaps the biosynthesis of an unnatural metabolite but ultimately it may result in the construction of an entire artificial organism. The advantages of such engineering projects are clear in that they would allow the synthesis of a range of designer chemicals, vitamins, antibiotics and biofuels as well as the generation of organisms that could be used in bioremediation, detoxification processes or the sensing of toxins or explosives. The construction of molecular cell factories or engineered life forms requires a multidisciplinary approach. This new era of synthetic biology is not merely a genetic engineering challenge – nor it is an in silico theoretical aspiration for system biologists – but it does in the first instance represents a genuine opportunity to learn about cells and to apply a reductionist approach to constructing simpler metabolic circuits. The engineering of the pathway for artemisinic acid, a key precursor of a vital antimalarial drug, exemplifies the importance of the technique in tackling the major disease. Engineering metabolism thus has the opportunity of bestowing favourable genetic traits and at the same time observing genome-physiology relationships making metabolic engineering an important tool in the understanding of functional genomics. Research into metabolic engineering and synthetic biology involve both strategic and applied research relating to the understanding and exploitation of biological systems. Moreover, it requires the advancement of technology (both analytical and in silico) and provides a superb training for scientists and engineers, which meet the needs of users and beneficiaries in bioprocessing, chemical, healthcare, and pharmaceutical industries, thereby contributing to the economic competitiveness of the United Kingdom and the quality of life.

The areas of focus related to the metabolic engineering theme include:

(a) The enhanced biosynthesis of vitamins in useful dietary forms;

(b) The engineering of pathways for quinones, which can be used as building blocks for a range of drugs;