Hybrid material-synthetic biology approaches to design functional structures

合成生物学为材料设计提供了一种新的方法，该计划将开发和整合合成生物学方法与材料加工方法。这将使新材料系统的设计，这是不可能使用传统的材料方法制造，和一个混合的方法可能克服一些与合成生物学相关的关键问题，如规模和成本。具体而言，该计划将侧重于将生物催化剂（酶）整合到聚合物材料系统中，这些聚合物材料系统将作为表面涂层或散装材料部署在一系列不同的应用领域。该计划的最初重点将是探索使用细菌赖氨酰氧化酶作为聚合材料的可活化成分。我们的假设是，这样一个系统将使刺激响应的自我修复系统，将广泛的实用性的制造。在该计划期间，我们将扩大使用的酶组合，结合不同生物催化剂的各自优势，以促进不同类型的聚合物交联化学，以实现最佳性能。例子包括酪氨酸酶和周环酶，它们将由学生在实验室中重组产生，并进行结构（X射线晶体学，NMR，Cryo-EM和基于溶液的技术，例如SAXS和SANS）和功能（体外动力学研究，电位测定法，流体动力学表征等）。表征。所得材料系统的性能特征将使用一系列分析方法进行测试，包括但不限于厚膜和薄膜技术、电子显微镜、AFM和通过使用光学和荧光显微镜监测的自愈试验。

Synthetic biology offers a new approach to the design of materials and this Programme will develop and integrate synthetic biology methods with materials processing methods. This will enable the design of novel material systems that it is not possible to manufacture using conventional materials approaches, and a hybrid approach potentially overcomes some of the key issues associated with synthetic biology such as scale-up and cost. Specifically, this Programme will focus on the integration of biocatalysts (enzymes) into polymeric material systems that will be deployed as surface coatings or as bulk materials across a range of different application areas. The initial focus of the Programme will be on exploring the use of bacterial lysyl oxidases as activatable components of polymeric materials. It is our hypothesis that such a system will enable the fabrication of stimulus responsive self-healing systems that will of broad utility. Over the duration of the Programme, we will expand the portfolio of enzymes to be used, combining the respective benefits of different biocatalysts that can be deployed to facilitate different types of polymer cross-linking chemistry, to achieve optimal performance. Examples include tyrosinase and pericyclases, which will be produced recombinantly in the laboratory by the student and subjected to structural (X-ray crystallography, NMR, Cryo-EM, and solution-based techniques, e.g. SAXS and SANS) and functional (in vitro kinetic studies, potentiometry, hydrodynamic characterisation, etc.) characterisation. The performance characteristics of the resulting materials systems will be tested using a range of analytical methods, including, but not limited to, thick film and thin film techniques, electron microscopy, AFM and self-healing assays monitored by using light and fluorescence microscopy.