New Proteins for new threads

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**Dr James Murray proposes an innovative approach to cloth production using deep learning and machine-learning-guided technology, which has the potential to fast-track the textile industry's transition to sustainability.**The fashion industry is among the **top 3 industries causing severe environmental problems**, contributing to 10% of carbon emissions globally (more than the total carbon footprint of the UK, France, and Germany combined). The majority comes from textile material production, as it relies heavily on livestock and petroleum-based materials, which are associated with CO2 emissions during manufacturing, as well as water and microplastic pollution. It's estimated that without drastic changes, the fashion industry will account for **26% of the global carbon footprint by 2050\.**This project addresses the need for sustainable production of textile fibres head-on. As such, Dr Murray and collaborators will develop a novel protein that can be spun into fibre and characterise the fibre to provide insights to guide commercialisation efforts. Compared to animal-derived fabrics (which have heavy carbon footprints and use a lot of fresh water) and synthetic petroleum-based fabrics (that don't biodegrade), this novel biomaterial will be more sustainable.Two aspects make this novel approach unique:* first, the proteins will be designed _de novo_ using advanced deep-learning methods* second, machine learning will guide microorganism strain development for protein production using precision fermentation (PF) (multiplying microbes to create specific products). PF is the only approach that allows the generation of novel proteins at scale. This technology is cruelty-free since it doesn't require the use of animals, and its carbon footprint is low.Dr Murray will apply his expertise in developing proteins to the design of a novel protein with desirable features, which will be used to create durable fibres suitable for producing soft, breathable fabrics. Through collaborating with UK-based biotech company Eden Bio, he will enable the selection of high-yielding microorganism strains to meet the demands of mass production in the fashion industry using ML technology.In summary, the present project offers an innovation capable of significantly enhancing the sustainability of one of the biggest industries in the UK.