Synthetic Biology Approaches for Biocatalytic Production of Value-Added Chemicals

Industrial biotechnology has seen a surge of interest and advancements in recent years, driven by the growing need for sustainable and environmentally friendly production of chemicals and materials. Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology have played a crucial role in expanding the scope of possible chemical products that can be manufactured using cellular or molecular biocatalysts. These tools allow for manipulating microbial genomes to optimize the production of desirable metabolites, such as specialty chemicals and value-added products. However, it is essential to acknowledge the challenges that come with these advancements. Several key factors have been identified as impediments to the commercial success of industrial biotechnology. A primary challenge is the inherent complexity of metabolic engineering and strain optimization, which requires a deep understanding of cellular biology and sophisticated computational tools. Additionally, the significant capital investment and risk associated with scaling up laboratory-scale processes to commercial-grade production has deterred many companies from pursuing these technologies. Therefore, advances in our fundamental knowledge of microbial metabolism, combined with improved computational and automation tools, offer opportunities to streamline the development and scale-up of biocatalytic processes.

Topics related to synthetic biology approaches for biocatalytic production of value-added chemicals include biocatalysts (enzymatic or microbial) identification and engineering for novel biotechnological applications, biotransformation, bioremediation, nanobiocatalysts, immobilized or cascade enzymes, and renewable bioproducts development.

This special issue focuses on the recent advancement in synthetic biology approaches for biocatalytic production of value-added chemicals. The potential research topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

- Identification of biocatalytic systems for chemical production
- Metabolic engineering to improve microbial whole cell performance
- Artificial intelligence approaches for biocatalyst development
- Protein engineering for biocatalytic transformation
- Processes or materials for biocatalysts (enzyme or whole cell) immobilization
- Novel bioprocess development and downstream processing
- Bioprocess design/engineering for biowaste to renewable fuels or value-added chemicals

Keywords: Biocatalytic Systems, Value-Added Chemicals, Metabolic Engineering, Microbial Whole Cell Performance, Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Biocatalyst Development

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