Session 2 Microbial Catalysis and Metabolic Engineering

Abstract

The engineering of microbial cell factories for production of fine or bulk chemicals is a multidisciplinary effort that involves genetic engineering (overexpression, deletion or introduction of genes), physiological engineering (cultivation and adaptation of the catalyst to the appropriate process conditions) and biochemical engineering (process configuration, protocols for down-stream processing etc.). Any application oriented project in the field of industrial biotechnology must involve an “omics” analysis. This does not necessarily mean the application of transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, etc. but especially, and invariably, an economics analysis. As pointed out by Cameron and Lievense (Proceedings 25th Symposium p 805) any application oriented project should: be business driven, leverage existing infrastructure, provide for integration along the value chain, The goals for metabolic engineering of microbial biocatalysts for industrial application are: faster (reduction of proces s time), more (higher final concentrations for a beneficial down-stream processing), cheaper (scale-up to appropriate size of equipment, reduce feedstock costs, reduce power input etc.). more efficient (higher yield of product on substrate and thus less byproducts), cleaner (less pollution by the overall process).