(648g) Using Modeling As Guide to Engineer Microbes for Industrial Applications

Engineering microbes for real industrial applications requires more than just the assembly of the genes comprising a biosynthetic pathway. The capacity of the pathway must be assessed vis a vis alternative routes, along with its thermodynamics and possible bottlenecks and its performance in bioreactor environments. Alternative feedstocks should be evaluated to identify the one that can be fully utilized for the production of the product. This process requires modeling at many levels, both of the biological system and the bioreactor environment. In this talk I will illustrate how modeling and simulations can guide this process with the ultimate goal of constructing microbes with superior performance suitable for industrial applications. An example of engineering the oleaginous yeast Tarrowia lipolytica for lipid synthesis and biodiesel production will be used as vehicle to illustrate various concepts.