Biological Production Systems

Biological Production Systems

Two main projects within the research area Biological Production Systems are ProPhos and MaxSynBio.
Photosynthetic microorganisms such as microalgae are innovative cell factories for the environmentally benign production of many bio-based chemicals. Such microorganisms are capable to synthesize a wide range of macromolecules, e.g. lipids, carbohydrates, proteins and valuable secondary metabolites from sunlight, carbon dioxide and inorganic nutrients at higher volumetric and areal productivities compared to terrestrial crops. As examples for photosynthetic systems, we have focused our research so far on the β-carotene producing green microalga Dunaliella salina and the siliceous diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. [more]
The exciting field of Synthetic Biology focuses on producing engineered, predictable cells or other biological systems to carry out desired functions, whereby these functions can be modified, enhanced or entirely new. Conceptually, Synthetic Biology relies on breaking down the complexity of biological systems into smaller subsystems and functional modules, followed by (re-)designing and (re-)assembling them into larger units. This can be considered as an analogue to the design of a biotechnological or chemical plant (Rollié et al., 2012). With respect to this, the PSE Group, in collaboration with EEC Group of Dr. Tanja Vidaković-Koch, has introduced its expertise in the assembly and control of chemical, energy and production processes in MaxSynBio– a research consortium with eight other Max Planck Institutes and research groups from the Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen-Nuremberg and the University of Bordeaux, which is jointly funded by the Max Planck Society and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in Germany. [more]
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