Redesigning Metabolic Circuits for Speciality Chemical Production

工业制造产品中使用的某些分子不仅必须高度纯化，而且必须具有特定的结构组成。“手性”分子以两种形式存在（科学上称为对映体，被称为S或R形式），它们是彼此的镜像，尽管原子组成相同，但生物活性并不总是相同的。生产一种形式的纯量通常是昂贵的，这阻碍了新的创新产品进入市场。目前的生产方法还可能涉及苛刻的化学处理，以分离混合物，这可能导致有害的副产品，如有毒的重金属。该项目通过利用微生物发酵的生物途径，以R形式的高价值手性分子为目标，解决了这些问题。这些分子可用于各种应用，如抗生素、药品、营养保健品，并具有非医疗用途，如液晶显示器。

Certain molecules used within industrially manufactured products not only have to be highly purified but also be of a specific structural composition. ‘Chiral’ molecules exist in two forms (scientifically called enantiomers and referred to as the S or R form) that are mirror images of one another and although the same by atomic composition are not always the same by biological activity. Producing pure quantities of one form is often expensive and this prevents new innovative products from reaching the market. Current production methods can also involve harsh chemical treatments to separate mixtures which may result in unwanted by-products such as toxic heavy metals. This project tackles these issues by targeting high value chiral molecules in their R forms using a biological route of microbial fermentation. These molecules can be used in diverse applications such as antibiotics, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and have non-medical uses such as liquid crystal displays.