Hybrid material-synthetic biology approaches to design functional structures

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.