What is pathway engineering?
Pathway engineering is a method used to improve microbial strains by deleting, replacing, or altering the expression of genes within a metabolic pathway. This approach aims to enhance the production of a metabolite of interest or create an entirely new one.
Isomerase specialises in cutting-edge metabolic engineering services. We harness these technologies to reshape metabolic processes within the cell, enabling us to produce valuable metabolites through direct fermentation. We use this technology to create cell factories for the production of pharmaceuticals, biofuels, biomaterials, catalytic enzymes or platform chemicals.
Our pathway engineering solutions include tools and proprietary methods for:
- Activation of the expression of one or more genes.
- Inactivation of one or more genes.
- In silico metabolic analysis.
- Fermentation process development.
Alongside these tools and methods, we have a diverse range of microbial strains from our proprietary strain collection and publicly available strains.
Strain improvement techniques
The objective of strain improvement is to maximise the titre of a product of interest by modifying the cell metabolism and its regulatory mechanisms while minimising any impact on cell fitness. At Isomerase, we use different approaches to strain improvement from different angles depending on the specific requirements of your process.
Classical strain improvement
In classical strain improvement, our researchers generate mutant strains through random mutagenesis. This involves using chemical or physical mutagens to introduce random mutations along the genome. Then, we screen the mutated cells to identify those that produce a higher titre of the desired metabolite. This technique is valuable for creating a diverse pool of mutants quickly and it does not limit the exploration to specific functions or traits.
Metabolic engineering
Unlike Classical Strain Improvement, metabolic engineering focuses on optimising specific genes or pathways within the cell. The process involves systematically modifying metabolic pathways to enhance the production of desired compounds.
Our scientists use omics data and metabolic maps to identify the optimal metabolic pathway and its constraints. Through targeted genetic engineering, we can direct the metabolic flux toward the synthesis of the product of interest.
In contrast to traditional methods, metabolic engineering is precise and controlled, minimising unwanted side effects and improving efficiency with a higher likelihood of introducing the desired mutations. Additionally, this field is continuously evolving, thanks to advancements in synthetic biology and omics technologies. Recent reductions in the cost of synthesised DNA and advances in genetic circuits also contribute to achieving the desired outcomes more effectively and cost-efficiently.
What are the applications of pathway engineering?
Pathway engineering has a broad range of applications across various industries. Here are some examples:
- Biotech and Pharma: Development of therapeutic drugs (such as insulin and antibiotics), antigens for vaccines, and raw materials like animal-free BSA.
- Environmental: Applications in this area include water treatment, bioremediation (the degradation of pollutants), and carbon sequestration (enhancing pathways that fix CO2).
- Agritech: Used to enhance or heterologously express pathways for the production of natural pesticides and fertilisers.
- Consumer goods: Modified microorganisms with improved metabolic pathways can be utilised to produce biofuels.
- Food and Ingredients: Development of animal-free protein alternatives and natural ingredients such as flavour enhancers, polysaccharides, citric acid, glutamic acid, and sweeteners.
- Functional materials: Enable the production of biomaterials, such as polylactic acid.
By leveraging the metabolic capabilities of microorganisms, we can create more sustainable and environmentally friendly industrial solutions.
Pathway Engineering at Isomerase
At Isomerase, we are harnessing the power of metabolic pathway engineering to design microorganisms capable of producing valuable products at an industrial scale and cost-effectively. Our metabolic engineering services typically follow specific steps to achieve high levels of a metabolite:
- Identify the target metabolic pathway responsible for producing the compound of interest.
- Analyse the pathway using omics data and computational tools.
- Assess the metabolic and regulatory constraints and their negative effects on the titer.
- Select the genes for insertion, modification or deletion, and construct the required vectors for transformation.
- Generate a strain containing the genetic alterations.
- Optimise the process.
Why choose Isomerase for pathway engineering?
At Isomerase, as a microbial pathway CRO, we tailor our solutions to align with your vision, drawing from classical methods or harnessing cutting-edge technology.
We are an integrated biotechnology service provider. We bring together expertise in strain bioengineering, bioinformatics, process innovation, proteins and enzymes. For end-to-end support we provide our IsoZym® platform.