Award details

19-ERACoBioTech- 33 SyCoLim

Reference	BB/T011408/1
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr Rodrigo Ledesma Amaro
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Professor Guy-Bart Stan
Institution	Imperial College London
Department	Bioengineering
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	519,624
Status	Current
Type	Research Grant
Start date	15/01/2020
End date	14/01/2024
Duration	48 months

Abstract

The biggest challenge of the biotechnological industry is to allow the transition to a bio-based economy. This transition can be accelerated by a sustainable microbial production of fuels and chemicals. However, not many bioprocesses reach the market due to the elevated production costs. Therefore, reducing the cost of bio-based production is essential and can be achieved by addressing the bio-manufacturing of high-value products from low-cost raw materials. In this project, we aim at exploiting synthetic biology tools to create synthetic microbial communities for the bioproduction of natural products. In order to achieve this goal, the partners (Imperial College London, CSIC, Charite-Universitatsmedizin Berlin and AciesBio) will join forces to develop novel tools and strains with industrial applications.

Summary

ERA CoBioTech seek the transition from a petroleum-based economy to a bio-based, circular economy, which can be achieved by the development of novel biotechnologies such as microbiological bioproduction processes. The aim of this project (SyCoLim) is to produce high-value chemicals (with applications as pharmaceuticals, medicines, fragrances, nutraceuticals or cosmetics) from waste raw materials (recycling glycerol, the by-product of biodiesel industries). In order to achieve this objective, synthetic microbial communities between yeast and bacteria will be created. These communities will be engineered to present advantages over monocultures, such as division of labour, higher adaptability and robustness or an expanded metabolic network. The bioprocess carried out by the best strains generated will be scaled up in industrial conditions in the facilities of our industrial partner. Therefore, the project will help the lab-to-market transition of the sustainable production of valuable compounds and will combine this with the exploration of novel synthetic biology and microbial communities' methodologies that have the potential to be applicable to other bioprocesses, thus facilitating the global transition towards the bioeconomy. The partners of SyCoLim has been selectively chosen to be the best fit possible to the rationale of the project, in terms not only of skills and methodologies but also in previous experience in synthetic microbial communities. Thus, together, the academic partners are world-leading researchers in yeast and bacteria engineering, in using synthetic biology to create microbial communities, in cutting-edge analytics (including metabolomics and proteomics) and in modelling communities. In addition, the industrial partner is one of the few biotech companies with expertise in commercial processes using engineered microbial communities. The scientific work packages will be developed in parallel to a Responsible Research an Innovation plan intended to evaluate the environmental and societal aspect of the process and it will guide and be guided by the experimental plans and results. SyCoLim is also committed to strict ethics and data management standards, embracing the FAIR principles. The project is accompanied by a solid Communication and Dissemination plan to reach different stakeholders and maximise the impact of the project's outcomes. The project will be carefully managed to optimise equal participation of the partners, appropriate budgets, gender balance, risk assessment, back up strategies, efficient communication and personnel and material transfer between teams.

Impact Summary

The outcomes of the proposal are expected to have a substantial impact, for example in academic research, technological and economic development, biotechnological industry, sustainability and environment, and society. In this section, we summarise some key aspects of the expected impact, although due to its importance, the impacts and potential of the project have been described throughout the different documents and sections of this proposal. All this will bring impact and added value for the European Research and Innovation in academia and industry. The project connects research groups from 4 European countries that are not currently collaborating together but whose expertise perfectly complements each other to achieve success in this proposal, facilitating the lab-to-market transition. This consortium will impact the career development of young researchers and a biotech SME. The research proposed here is using cutting edge and innovative science and techniques beyond the state of the art and its outcomes are expected to be published in very high impact journals as well as world patents. New production processes developed in the project will have an impact on the European economy as valorisation of biodiesel industries and the generation of novel bio-based starting molecules that can be used by the chemical industries to produce a variety of compounds with a myriad of applications. The detailed TRL plan document explains how an increase in 2 levels of TRL will be achieved during the project. This increase, which leads to a test of the technology in industrial conditions, will have an impact on technological and economic development. The project will impact on commercial partners and end-users. More directly, the partner Acies Bio will participate in the development of the technology and will benefit of the technological innovations. This will allow them to expand their exploitation capabilities and commercialise new bioprocesses. This capability will impact positively the positioning of Acies Bio on the industrial biotechnology market and benefit European and worldwide flavour and fragrance industries, such as Guivodan, Firmenich, Frutarom, IFF, etc. In addition, this technology will set up a methodology for using synthetic communities in biotechnology that will provide essential know-how for the implementation of novel strategies and production lines (for example, other derived products from the mevalonate pathway, like carotenoids and diterpenes), and thus expand the post-project impact of this work. The project will have an impact on the sustainability of biotechnological research, which will be favoured by a solid Data Management (DM) plan. The DM plan, described in a separate document, will champion the responsible and efficient use of results generated in the scope of the project. It will have a positive impact on the scientific community and industry by creating datasets using FAIR principles.

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Bioenergy, Industrial Biotechnology, Microbiology, Synthetic Biology
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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