SBIR Phase I: Advanced multi-locus genome engineering to enable consolidated bioprocessing for the low-cost conversion of lignocellulose to hydrocarbon fuels and products

SBIR 第一阶段：先进的多位点基因组工程，实现整合生物加工，将木质纤维素低成本转化为碳氢化合物燃料和产品

• 批准号: 2112323
• 负责人: Christopher Herring
• 金额: $ 25.6万
• 依托单位: TERRAGIA BIOFUEL INC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2112323&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Advanced; multi; locus

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to test an innovative new approach to generating industrially valuable microorganisms. If successful, the new approach will be demonstrated by improving the ability of an engineered bacterium to convert components of biomass into fuel. The benefit of that research will be to help develop a technology that can convert domestically-produced, non-food biomass into fuel at a low enough cost that it can become a significant part of America’s energy solution. The United States would realize multiple benefits from the production of such low-cost cellulosic biofuels. However, realization of this objective requires innovative new approaches that meaningfully decrease the cost of conversion. This project seeks an innovative new approach to engineering bacterial phenotypes with an unknown genetic basis, while at the same time producing strains useful for a method of biomass conversion called Consolidated Bioprocessing (CBP). The technology will expand the complexity of phenotypes that can be developed in industrial microbes by non-directed /evolutionary methods by taking advantage of natural competence, which is the ability of some bacteria to take up DNA. The solution demonstrates the feasibility of a technique called Continuous Evolution with Multiplex Natural Transformation (CE-MuNT), in a program of selection for commercially valuable phenotypes that have a complex, uncharacterized genetic basis. By using massive and rapid genetic transfers that do not require human intervention, it may be possible to rapidly create a large set of genetically diverse mutants that can then be selected for the targeted characteristics. Importantly, the approach is not limited by the significant knowledge gaps that exist about the organism. The project will initiate studies aimed at catalytically converting biomass-derived ethanol to hydrocarbons that are suited to aviation and heavy-duty applications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）I阶段项目的更广泛影响是测试一种创新的新方法来产生工业有价值的微生物。如果成功，将通过提高工程细菌将生物质组成部分转化为燃料的能力来证明新方法。该研究的好处将是帮助开发一种可以将国内生产的非食品生物量转化为燃料的技术，以足够低的成本，它可以成为美国能源解决方案的重要组成部分。美国将通过生产这种低成本纤维素生物燃料实现多种好处。但是，实现这一目标需要有意义地降低转换成本的创新新方法。该项目寻求一种创新的新方法，用于具有未知遗传基础的工程细菌表型，同时产生的菌株对一种称为巩固生物处理（CBP）的生物量转化方法有用。该技术将通过利用自然能力来扩大通过非导向 /进化方法在工业微生物中开发的表型的复杂性，这是某些细菌吸收DNA的能力。该解决方案证明了一种具有多重自然转化（CE-MUNT）的技术的可行性，该技术在商业上有价值的表型的选择程序中具有复杂的，未表征的遗传基础。通过使用不需要人类干预的大规模和快速的遗传转移，可以快速创建一组遗传多样的突变体，然后可以选择这些突变体。重要的是，该方法不受有关生物体存在的重大知识差距的限制。该项目将启动旨在将生物质衍生的乙醇转化为适合航空和重型应用的碳氢化合物的研究。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛影响的审查标准通过评估来通过评估来支持的。