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H2020Doctoral network2018–2021

SynCrop · Synthetic Circuits for Robust Orthogonal Production

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2018-01-01 → 2021-12-31
EU contribution
€3,971,348
Participants
16
Scheme
MSCA-ITN-ETN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Synthetic Circuits for Robust Orthogonal Production

At present, the exploitation of the potential of synthetic biology is greatly hindered by our limited ability to predict how production modules, also called synthetic circuits, will behave when implemented in living cells. SynCrop consortium has assembled a multi-disciplinary and trans-sectoral team of internationally renowned academic and industrial partners to challenge this major obstacle of synthetic biology. SynCrop’s major scientific goal was to rewire the cellular regulation into controllable and modular circuitry for efficient production of food additives (exopolysaccharides, vitamins, and carotenoids). The research of SynCrop harnessed the advances in various high-resolution technologies augmented with innovative modelling at multiple scales to quantitatively address the largely unexplored behavior of host cell in conjunction with production circuit towards (re)-designing the host for high yield production. We generated a suite of production circuits for some of the most important industrial organisms used in food industry (Escherichia coli, Streptococcus thermophilus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae). By monitoring imbalances in cellular homeostasis and physiological integrity and assessing distribution of cellular resources between synthetic circuits and housekeeping activities, we identified key set points to control the burden of synthetic circuit expression. These readouts were critical for creating the framework for reprogramming cellular behavior towards increasing yield of the engineered synthetic circuits under industrial settings and for robust and reliable operation of the host cells under varying environments. SynCrop results and achievements fill in an important void in the European economic mission by efficiently exploiting the biosynthesis routes of industrially valuable products (exopolysaccharides, vitamins, and carotenoids). These three industrial products have wide range of applications, including dairy, animal and human nutrition, applications in cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, yet using tedious, unsustainable and environmentally unfriendly methods. Furthermore, SynCrop educated a new cohort of 15 international young researchers with unique combination of skills in quantitative biology that can construct modular and tunable synthetic circuits and reprogram organisms towards application-driven goals – an essential skillset for the young generation to become future research leaders or entrepreneurs in the emerging field of synthetic biology.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

The repertoire of industrially produced fine chemicals in various biological systems will rapidly expand using the tools from the emerging field of synthetic biology. However, the high-level production of non-natural products or de novo activities through synthetic circuits compromises the integrity of host organisms, which significantly impacts or even prevents the development of an industrial pipeline. Our ability to exploit the potential of synthetic biology for industrial production is constrained by our understanding of the integrated cell response when introducing a new synthetic circuit into the homeostatic network of the cell. SynCrop’s main goal is to establish a European Training Network that merges the fragmented scientific expertise in theoretical, experimental and application-driven quantitative biology to educate the next generation of researchers to construct modular and tunable synthetic circuits and foster the development of novel production platforms for food additives (e.g. vitamins, carotenoids and exopolysaccharides). Researchers with inter-disciplinary skills in both experimental and computational biology are needed to solve complex application-driven problems. SynCrop brings together ten academic partners from quantitative biology, cell engineering, microbial physiology and mathematical modelling fields and six industrial partners, including key experts in metabolic engineering and industrial biotechnology. The consortium will provide 15 early-stage researchers with cutting-edge multi-disciplinary research training, through tailored research projects, rigorous exchange of expertise among researchers and partners, and participation in specialised courses, workshops and conferences augmented by extensive training in complementary skills. SynCrop will generate a strong cohort of highly-employable scientists with unique inter-disciplinary and intersectoral skills to address complex questions and develop innovative biotechnological processes.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

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Data: CORDIS, © European Union