The engineering of Biology presents vast opportunities for new therapeutic design, prevention of disease, new chemistry and solutions to environmental problems.  We use what we know from Nature to engineer systems with predictable behaviors.  We also seek to discover new natural strategies to then re-engineer. Here, I will present concepts and experiments that address how we and our collaborators approach these problems in a systematic way.  In one instance, we engineer cell compartments to create nanofactories for chemical production, new materials and environmental sensors.  Secondly, we have co-developed the ‘bionic leaf’ to channel sunlight via electrocatalysts to commodity producing bacteria.  In doing so, we have discovered a wide spread strategy by which all prokaryotes sequester chemical reactions to protect from toxic intermediates.  These results have far-reaching implications for cell-based manufacturing and sustainability.

Designing biology for health and the environment

255th National Meeting (2018)

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