Using synthetic biology to make new anticancer compounds

Bacteria have evolved the ability to produce specialised metabolites (also known as natural products) with potent bioactivities, which makes these compounds excellent candidates as medicines. Actinobacteria are particularly have a remarkable capacity to produce many natural products, including the majority of clinically used classes of antibiotics, as well as many other compounds used across medicine and agriculture.

In this project, the PhD student will develop synthetic biology methodology to improve and engineer the production of thioamitides, an important class of peptide natural products with potent anticancer activity. The project will span microbiology, synthetic biology, mass spectrometry, and natural product. The project will lead to the production of clinically-promising molecules, as well as the discovery of new natural products.

This multidisciplinary project will be based in the laboratory of Dr Andrew Truman in the Department of Molecular Microbiology at the John Innes Centre, which has world-class facilities for bacterial genetics and natural product biosynthesis. Further expertise is provided by secondary supervisor Dr Carolina Grandellis (Earlham Institute Biofoundry), who is an expert in engineering biological entities, synthetic biology, automation programming, as well as large-scale experiment design and analysis.

The student will also work with the Rushworth group at UEA, who are experts in understanding the biology of leukaemia.

This project provides an exciting opportunity to discover new bioactive molecules and develop skills across biology and chemistry, including the purification and structural elucidation of natural products. Applications are welcomed from students across the biological and chemical sciences who have a desire to work on a multidisciplinary project that combines chemistry and synthetic biology.