SBIR Phase I: Synthetic Respiration for Improved Bio-fuels Production

New England Biolabs, Ipswich MA

Investigators

Abstract

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will undertake engineering Escherichia coli to "breathe" (respire) using an electrode instead of oxygen. An increasing number of industrial bioprocesses use engineered E. coli strains for the production of fuels and chemicals from renewable feedstocks. Efficient microbial production of fuels and chemicals is intimately connected to respiration and metabolism. This synthetic form of respiration represents a fundamentally new way to interface external controls with intracellular environments. Because the chemical activity of an electrode can be varied electronically, this artificial "electronic" respiratory pathway will enable the control of metabolism. The engineered microbe will be a platform strain for the improved production of a range of fuels and chemicals. The broader/commercial impacts of this research are more efficient and cost-effective industrial fermentations translating to market-competitive bio-based fuels and chemicals, reduced environmental impacts, and greater independence from fossil fuels. Furthermore, an electrode respiring E. coli will find application in biosensing, machine-cellular communication, and fundamental investigation into cellular bio-energetics.