Grant: Alliance Grants
University of Waterloo
$67,500.00
Novel strain engineering and bioprocessing strategies for microbial production of heme and its porphyrin precursors
EF 2024-25
Résumé
To date, most chemical products are still synthesized from fossil fuels. Due to unstable supply of fossil fuels, environmental concerns of climate change, stringent regulations for petro-based production, and motivation to "low carbon" economy, replacing petrochemical processes with biomass-biological strategies has been recognized as a modern technology for sustainable and clean manufacturing. With common interests in bio-based production of fine chemicals, UWaterloo and Ardra Inc. initiate the proposed research with a major objective to develop an advanced whole-cell transformation platform, including genetically and metabolically engineered bacterial strains, and their associated bioprocessing strategies, for renewable, sustainable, clean, and economically feasible production of tetrapyrroles, which are natural, colorful, and essential metabolic pigment compounds produced in most living organisms. Numerous identified applications and rising demands of tetrapyrroles in healthcare, pharmaceutical, and food industries have recently triggered their commercial interests. In the proposed research, we will target heme and several of its porphyrin precursors for bio-based production process development. The proposed research is highly multidisciplinary in biological sciences/engineering and industrial biotechnology, and covers numerous research areas with the following envisioned outcomes and benefits: (1) applying advanced biotechnological tools to derive novel engineered bacterial strains as whole-cell biocatalysts for tetrapyrrole production; (2) developing a clean, renewable, sustainable, and economically feasible bioprocess for tetrapyrrole production, including upstream strain construction, midstream bacterial cultivation, and downstream bioproduct purification; (3) boosting Canada's research capacity and technological development in bioprocessing strategies; (4) improving Canada's living environment through clean biomanufacturing; and (5) training highly qualified personnel (HQP) for meeting challenges of the next generation of industrial biotechnology.
Programme
Alliance Grants
Bénéficiaire
Emplacement
Ontario, Canada
Type de bénéficiaire
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
Tel que publié
Application id
586042-2023
Name nom
Chou, C Perry CP
Department département
Chemical Engineering
Organization id
33
Institution établissement
University of Waterloo
Province en
Ontario
Province fr
Ontario
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2024
Competition year année de concours
2023
Award amount
67500
Program id
ALLRP
Program name en
Alliance Grants
Program name fr
Subventions Alliance
Group en
RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS
Group fr
PARTENARIATS DE RECHERCHE
Committee code
96
Committee name en
RPP Internal Decision Cttee
Committee name fr
Cté de décision interne - PPR
Area of application code
1201
Area of application group en
Advancement of knowledge
Area of application group fr
Avancement des connaissances
Area of application en
Life sciences (including biotechnology)
Area of application fr
Sciences de la vie (y compris biotechnologie)
Research subject code
1802
Research subject group en
Chemical engineering
Research subject group fr
Génie chimique
Research subject en
Biochemical engineering
Research subject fr
Génie biochimique
Field of research list names en
Not available
Field of research list names fr
Non disponible
Socioeconomic objective list names en
Not available
Socioeconomic objective list names fr
Non disponible
Application title
Novel strain engineering and bioprocessing strategies for microbial production of heme and its porphyrin precursors
Keywords
biocatalyst; bioprocess engineering; escherichia coli; genetic engineering; heme; metabolic engineering; porphyrin; synthetic biology; tetrapyrrole
Application summary
To date, most chemical products are still synthesized from fossil fuels. Due to unstable supply of fossil fuels, environmental concerns of climate change, stringent regulations for petro-based production, and motivation to "low carbon" economy, replacing petrochemical processes with biomass-biological strategies has been recognized as a modern technology for sustainable and clean manufacturing. With common interests in bio-based production of fine chemicals, UWaterloo and Ardra Inc. initiate the proposed research with a major objective to develop an advanced whole-cell transformation platform, including genetically and metabolically engineered bacterial strains, and their associated bioprocessing strategies, for renewable, sustainable, clean, and economically feasible production of tetrapyrroles, which are natural, colorful, and essential metabolic pigment compounds produced in most living organisms. Numerous identified applications and rising demands of tetrapyrroles in healthcare, pharmaceutical, and food industries have recently triggered their commercial interests. In the proposed research, we will target heme and several of its porphyrin precursors for bio-based production process development. The proposed research is highly multidisciplinary in biological sciences/engineering and industrial biotechnology, and covers numerous research areas with the following envisioned outcomes and benefits: (1) applying advanced biotechnological tools to derive novel engineered bacterial strains as whole-cell biocatalysts for tetrapyrrole production; (2) developing a clean, renewable, sustainable, and economically feasible bioprocess for tetrapyrrole production, including upstream strain construction, midstream bacterial cultivation, and downstream bioproduct purification; (3) boosting Canada's research capacity and technological development in bioprocessing strategies; (4) improving Canada's living environment through clean biomanufacturing; and (5) training highly qualified personnel (HQP) for meeting challenges of the next generation of industrial biotechnology.
