Collaboration + Innovation
Bacterial “factories”
speed up chemical
production
UCL Department of Biochemical Engineering,
Dr Frank Baganz and Dr Chris Grant
A highly efficient bacteria-based process for the
production of commercially significant chemicals
has been devised at UCL, thanks to an EPSRC
co-funded EngD, in a partnership between UCL
and Procter & Gamble Chemicals.
Engineering the ideal host
Despite impressive industry developments since the
manufacture of the first detergents over 80 years ago,
detergent production can still be highly inefficient.
Purification is essential, but time-consuming, wasteful
and costly. Supervised by Dr Frank Baganz, Senior
Lecturer in Biochemical Engineering, Dr Chris Grant
has developed a novel process for converting paraffinlike molecules called alkanes into fatty alcohols. These
have an array of practical applications, from detergent
manufacture to the creation of cosmetics and other
everyday commodities.
In search of a solution, Dr Grant inspected other
bacteria that grow on oil to see how they ingest and
metabolise it. Genetic analysis revealed a protein in
the surface of the oil-loving bacteria that was missing
from E. coli. It coded for a channel in their surface
the right shape for alkane entry. Dr Grant named the
protein a biopump.
Tiny cell factories
“We used the concept of the cellular factory, a form
of biotechnology,” said Dr Grant. “Using bacteria
as hosts to create commercially valuable products
is potentially cheaper and faster than conventional
chemical processes.” Bacteria called Escherichia
coli were used for the cellular factory because they
are easy to grow, do not require much energy or
sophisticated living conditions, and replicate fast.
By engineering bacteria to create fatty alcohols,
it becomes possible to select cheaper starting
materials, such as paraffin oil, and avoid scarce and
expensive sources like coconut oil.
The enzymes inside bacteria make them efficient
cellular factories. “The whole cell approach is much
more elegant than a chemical process,” said Dr Grant.
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But the bacteria used for the cellular factory at first
refused paraffin-based alkanes entry through their
cell wall.
Cloning the instructions for the biopump plus an
enzyme that converts alkanes to alcohols in E. coli
enabled a much faster production of fatty alcohol –
a hundred times quicker than without the biopump.
Dr Grant has now secured an EPSRC-funded
fellowship, also supervised by Dr Baganz and hopes
to develop a library of biopumps for transport of
other molecules and model the cost benefit of these
processes on an industrial scale.
Industrial support
Partnership with Procter & Gamble Chemicals has been
“very fruitful” for him, Dr Grant acknowledged: “The
company was very supportive of my academic needs.”
It was also helpful for UCL. “The academics get to know
the key problems industry has to face, which helps us
focus research on relevant areas,” he said. “And this
insight filters down to benefit students too.”
Engineering Doctorate Centres
Spin-out to success
Greener outlook
Dr Grant has co-founded a spin-out synthetic
biology company called Synthace. The company
is collaborating with Dr Baganz and Dr Neil Dixon
from the University of Manchester in a £500,000
research grant from the Technology Strategy Board.
The project will showcase Synthace’s platform for the
rapid development of cellular factories and apply the
innovative biopump technology in new applications
for production of high value chemicals.
The benefits of the novel bioengineering techniques
can be seen for wider society too. Dr Grant is also
involved with Dr Saul Purton at UCL in the creation
of cellular factories from photosynthetic bacteria –
cells that make energy from sunlight and carbon
dioxide in the same way as plants. In this way, they
hope to reduce carbon dioxide levels and protect
the environment, while making useful products such
as biofuels.
“Synthace is carrying out biosynthesis in bacteria
to synthesise a range of high-value products, such
as pharmaceutical intermediates and specialty
chemicals” said Dr Grant. “It will explore a
combination of advanced biological methods plus
robotics, automation and experimental statistical
design to identify the optimum process conditions
and the best engineered organism.”
More information
Synthace: www.synthace.com
UCL Engineering Doctorate in Bioprocess
Engineering Leadership: www.uclbiopro.co.uk
Dr Chris Grant with David Willetts MP
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