Engineering Biology & Materials Science
Environmental Biotechnology Challenge:

Expand tool sets for bioremediation and resource recycling.

Materials for detection and removal of contaminants.

  • Technical Achievement: Engineer stimuli-responsive, biodegradable polymers with on-demand self-healing properties, enabling active repair of fouled or damaged filter membranes.
  • Technical Achievement: Demonstrate cell-free sensors, embedded in shelf-stable materials that can detect water contaminants at EPA limits (e.g., lead, fecal coliforms).
  • Technical Achievement: Demonstrate cell-free sensors, embedded in shelf-stable materials that can robustly report on contaminants within 15 minutes.1Silverman, A.D., Akova, U., Alam, K.K., Jewett, M.C., & Lucks, J.B. (2020). Design and optimization of a cell-free atrazine biosensor. ACS Synthetic Biology 9(3), 671-677.
    View Publication
  • Technical Achievement: Enable multiplexed detection of 10 or more chemical contaminants (excluding RNA) in a single device.
  • Technical Achievement:  Engineer novel biomaterials that incorporate obligate hydrocarbonoclastic microbes (i.e., “oil-eating” bacteria).2Yakimov, M.M., Timmis, K.N., & Golyshin, P.N. (2007). Obligate oil-degrading marine bacteria. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 18(3), 257-266. View Publication

Materials for bioremediation of environments.

  • Technical Achievement: Synthesize porous materials completely or mainly from refuse (e.g., plants, tree bark, shrimp shells); similar to molecular sieves (zeolites) or metal-organic frameworks, these materials may function for diverse purposes (e.g., CO2 sequestration, water purification, metal uptake, sensors).
  • Technical Achievement: Develop mechanism-based toolkit to approach material breakdown coupled to genetic circuits/chassis engineering to provide new platforms (e.g., hydrolysis, singlet oxygen generation, photo-driven cleavage) for remediation.

Footnotes

  1. Silverman, A.D., Akova, U., Alam, K.K., Jewett, M.C., & Lucks, J.B. (2020). Design and optimization of a cell-free atrazine biosensor. ACS Synthetic Biology 9(3), 671-677.
    https://doi.org/10.1021/acssynbio.9b00388
  2. Yakimov, M.M., Timmis, K.N., & Golyshin, P.N. (2007). Obligate oil-degrading marine bacteria. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 18(3), 257-266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2007.04.006
Last updated: January 19, 2021 Back
Engineering Biology & Materials Science

Glossary

Last updated: January 19, 2021

Bryn Adams

Process

EBRC’s roadmaps are developed using a community-driven process that emphasizes diversity and inclusivity. Each roadmap topic is chosen by EBRC members with input from the community. The roadmaps are constructed through an iterative writing-review-revision process – where new and returning contributors take part in writing workshops and volunteer their own independent time and efforts – to brainstorm, discuss, and create the depth and breadth of each technical roadmap. Our roadmaps represent the diverse expertise and interests of the engineering biology community and related fields. EBRC releases our roadmaps on this interactive, web-based platform to make them widely available and easily accessible (and to save a few trees).

Last updated: February 3, 2021
Microbiome Engineering

Download the Roadmap: Microbiome Engineering (2020)

The interactive website is the best way to navigate the content and will always be the most up-to-date. We recognize, however, that there are some circumstances where a linear draft of the roadmap will be helpful. The downloads available here will be updated periodically.

EBRC recommends the following citation when referencing the Roadmap:
Engineering Biology Research Consortium (2020). Microbiome Engineering: A Research Roadmap for the Next-Generation Bioeconomy. Retrieved from https://roadmap.ebrc.org. doi: 10.25498/E4QP4T

Full Roadmap

Download a Complete PDF

Last updated: October 14, 2020

Microbiome Engineering (2020)

A Research Roadmap for the Next-Generation Bioeconomy

Douglas Friedman

Eric Lee

Emily R. Aurand

Lingchong You

Harris Wang

Ophelia S. Venturelli

Ginni Ursin

Kevin Solomon

Tuesday Simmons