Synthetic biology tools for just-in-time control of biosynthetic pathways

合成生物学可以实现从药物到生物材料等贵重化学品的可持续合成。使用微生物，通常通过过度表达产生所需产物的基因来获得高产量水平，但这种简单的方法通常不能用于抗生素和其他对微生物有毒的化合物。利用合成生物学，该项目构建了基因电路，使目标基因能够智能、及时地激活，这在自然途径中很普遍。使用这些电路，我们将促进1）一种有价值的抗生素的生产和2）自我修复混凝土中的方解石沉淀。这种方法使许多其他化学物质的生物合成成为可能，从而导致更清洁和更环保的生物工厂。

Synthetic biology enables sustainable synthesis of precious chemicals, ranging from drugs to biomaterials. Using microbes, high production levels are usually attained by overexpressing the genes that make the desired product, but this simple approach often fails for antibiotics and other compounds that are toxic to microbes. Using synthetic biology this project builds genetic circuits enabling smart, just-in-time activation of target genes, which is pervasive in natural pathways. Using these circuits we will boost 1) the production of a valuable antibiotic and 2) calcite precipitation in self-healing concrete. This approach enables the biosynthesis of many other chemicals, leading to cleaner and greener bio-factories.