Ecosystem Services, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship (ECOSCOPE)

生态系统服务、商业化和创业 (ECOSCOPE)

• 批准号: 466096-2015
• 负责人: Hallam, Steven
• 金额: $ 21.86万
• 依托单位: University of British Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Collaborative Research and Training Experience
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=628770
• 关键词: Ecosystem; Services; Commercialization; Entrepreneurship; ECOSCOPE

Microorganisms represent the invisible majority of living things on Earth. Interconnected microbial communities catalyze matter and energy conversion processes essential to ecosystem services through networks of metabolite exchange. The concept of community metabolism has recently emerged as a topic of interest in synthetic biology. At its core, synthetic biology is built upon BioBricks or standardized parts composed of DNA that conform to an assembly standard. Synthetic biologists engineer biological systems in cellular "chasses" including E. coli by combining BioBricks into integrated devices (e.g., reactions, pathways, structures). Engineered microbial communities expand upon the BioBricks concept to include cellular organisms as information processing units implementing a distributed genetic algorithm. Such consortia perform complex tasks more effectively than single cells, to complement enzyme complexes mediating biomass conversion and to resist environmental perturbation, suggesting a beneficial role for ecological design principles in engineering new materials and industrial processes. The Ecosystem Services, Commercialization Platforms and Entrepreneurship (ECOSCOPE) industrial stream CREATE training program will provide highly qualified personnel (HQP) with the skills needed to translate environmental sequence information derived from studying microbial communities in natural and engineered ecosystems into commercial and entrepreneurial activities. ECOSCOPE will accomplish its objectives by increasing capacity for HQP training in microbial ecology and synthetic biology at all levels - undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral. This innovative program - allowing for team internships in start-up environments, sustained participation in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition and focus on knowledge translation - will provide professional and entrepreneurial training to augment research skills and empower HQP to commercialize their innovations. Scientists trained by ECOSCOPE will improve our understanding of microbial ecology, synthetic biology, and will contribute directly to an emerging Canadian "bioeconomy."

微生物是地球上看不见的大多数生物。相互连接的微生物群落通过代谢物交换网络催化对生态系统服务至关重要的物质和能量转化过程。群落代谢的概念最近成为合成生物学的一个热门话题。合成生物学的核心是建立在生物砖或由符合组装标准的DNA组成的标准化部件上。合成生物学家在细胞“底盘”中设计生物系统，包括E。通过将BioBricks组合到集成装置中（例如，反应、途径、结构）。工程微生物群落扩展了生物砖的概念，包括细胞生物作为信息处理单元，实现分布式遗传算法。此类聚生体比单细胞更有效地执行复杂任务，以补充介导生物质转化的酶复合物并抵抗环境干扰，这表明生态设计原则在工程新材料和工业过程中发挥着有益的作用。生态系统服务，商业化平台和创业（ECOSCOPE）工业流CREATE培训计划将为高素质人员（HQP）提供将来自研究自然和工程生态系统中微生物群落的环境序列信息转化为商业和创业活动所需的技能。ECOSCOPE将通过提高各级微生物生态学和合成生物学HQP培训的能力来实现其目标-本科生，研究生和博士后。这一创新计划-允许团队在初创环境中实习，持续参与国际遗传工程机器（iGEM）竞赛并专注于知识转化-将提供专业和创业培训，以增强研究技能并使HQP能够将其创新商业化。由ECOSCOPE培训的科学家将提高我们对微生物生态学、合成生物学的理解，并将直接为加拿大新兴的“生物经济”做出贡献。"