Plug and Play Photosynthesis for Rubisco Independent Fuels
Reference Number
BB/I024526/1
Title
Plug and Play Photosynthesis for Rubisco Independent Fuels
Status
Completed
Energy Categories
Renewable Energy Sources(Solar Energy)
Renewable Energy Sources(Bio-Energy)
Renewable Energy Sources(Bio-Energy)
Research Types
Basic and strategic applied research
Science and Technology Fields
BIOLOGICAL AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES (Biological Sciences)
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation
Not Cross-cutting
Principal Investigator
Dr T S Bayer
Div of Molecular Biosciences
Imperial College London
Div of Molecular Biosciences
Imperial College London
Award Type
Research Grant
Funding Source
BBSRC
Start Date
20 June 2011
End Date
19 June 2014
Duration
36 months
Total Grant Value
£339,879
Industrial Sectors
Manufacturing; Transport Systems and Vehicles
Region
London
Programme
Photosynthesis Ideas Lab (PSIL)
Investigators
Principal Investigator
Dr T S Bayer, Div of Molecular Biosciences, Imperial College London
Web Site
Objectives
This grant is linked to BB/I024437/1, BB/I02447X/1.
Ensuring a stable energy supply is the central challenge of the 21st century, and this team will highlight the importance of the problem and prepare the next generation of scientists. In additional to the technical goals, this project is envisaged to have broader impacts in four distinct domains: 1. The successful completion of the scientific goals of this program will transform thinking about photosynthesis by creating independent modules for studying and optimizing the light and dark processes as well as portable biowires to establish functional contacts between distinct cell types. These modules, as well as the platform for testing them as a system, will be freely shared with other researchers. 2. Students will be important stakeholders in the Plug and Play (P&P) team and funds have been included for all American PIs to include summer, undergraduate students in their research. Furthermore, the proposed project offers extraordinary training opportunities to students at all levels. Unique to this project and multidisciplinary team is the range of scientific disciplines and academic institutions involved. In particular P&P includes representatives from the fields of microbial ecology, synthetic biology, protein biochemistry, protein design spectroscopy, electrical engineering and bioinorganic chemistry, and its members work in labs in seven universities in the U.S. (Arizona State, Michigan State, Penn State, Emory) and the U.K. (Glasgow, Southampton, Imperial). 3. The P&P team exemplifies the globalization of science and will serve as a model for collaboration between the NSF and the BBSRC. Recognizing the importance of international collaboration, we have carefully constructed a trans-Atlantic administrative structure to foster close ties and included funds in the budget to support exchange of scientific personnel between laboratories. 4. Dissemination of scientific results will be crucial to this project, both to push the boundaries of photosynthetic research and engage the public in understanding a crucial problem. The geographic disparity of the participants provides a unique opportunity to develop web-based photosynthetic resources to engage the international community.
Ensuring a stable energy supply is the central challenge of the 21st century, and this team will highlight the importance of the problem and prepare the next generation of scientists. In additional to the technical goals, this project is envisaged to have broader impacts in four distinct domains: 1. The successful completion of the scientific goals of this program will transform thinking about photosynthesis by creating independent modules for studying and optimizing the light and dark processes as well as portable biowires to establish functional contacts between distinct cell types. These modules, as well as the platform for testing them as a system, will be freely shared with other researchers. 2. Students will be important stakeholders in the Plug and Play (P&P) team and funds have been included for all American PIs to include summer, undergraduate students in their research. Furthermore, the proposed project offers extraordinary training opportunities to students at all levels. Unique to this project and multidisciplinary team is the range of scientific disciplines and academic institutions involved. In particular P&P includes representatives from the fields of microbial ecology, synthetic biology, protein biochemistry, protein design spectroscopy, electrical engineering and bioinorganic chemistry, and its members work in labs in seven universities in the U.S. (Arizona State, Michigan State, Penn State, Emory) and the U.K. (Glasgow, Southampton, Imperial). 3. The P&P team exemplifies the globalization of science and will serve as a model for collaboration between the NSF and the BBSRC. Recognizing the importance of international collaboration, we have carefully constructed a trans-Atlantic administrative structure to foster close ties and included funds in the budget to support exchange of scientific personnel between laboratories. 4. Dissemination of scientific results will be crucial to this project, both to push the boundaries of photosynthetic research and engage the public in understanding a crucial problem. The geographic disparity of the participants provides a unique opportunity to develop web-based photosynthetic resources to engage the international community.
Abstract
Photosynthetic cyanobacteria will be engineered to heterologously express electrically conductive pili, or 'wires' derived from bacteria such as Shewanella sp. pili will be investigated microscopically and electrochemically to characterize both anatomy and electrical properties. In the second phase, regulatory mechanisms will be introduced into the phototroph to allow controlled shunting of electrons away from ordinary metabolism. This will allow coupling to fuel production units, which will be developed to operate in chemotrophic organisms (linked to the phototroph via the conductive biowire. Initial studies will be undertaken with natural enzymes (hydrogenase and formate dehydrogenase) and studies will progress to an artificial CO2 reducing construct and well as alkane producing pathways.
Data
No related datasets
Projects
No related projects
Publications
No related publications
Added to Database
22/11/13
