(647g) Adding Valuable Functional Groups to Building Blocks Using New Synthetic Biology Tools

Engineered microbes produce an increasing array of useful compounds, but one way in which their potential is constrained is by the narrow range of chemistries that they can currently introduce within small molecules or macromolecules. The introduction of certain functional groups on repeating units is an attractive and versatile application of synthetic biology as the resulting proteins or polymers could be valorized by having enhanced properties throughout the molecule or at specific sites. As synthetic biologists consider a greater range of end products, including the organism as a live product for contexts outside of reactors, new tools are needed to engineer metabolism, proteins, and genomes in concert to accommodate an expanded breadth of chemistries. In this talk, I will highlight nascent efforts in our lab to develop such tools and associated applications.