Ideas lab: usprd: programmable small molecule biosynthesis
Active Cooperative Agreement Awarded Last action
- Award ID
- 2448653
- Recipient
-
Purdue University UEI YRXVL4JYCEF5
- Awarding agency
-
National Science Foundation
- Obligated
- $4,960,944
Award facts
- Assistance listing
- 47.084 NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships
- Completion date 50% complete
- Place of performance
- West Lafayette, IN, USA
Award details come from USAspending.gov.
Description
- Abstract
- Programmable small molecule biosynthesis this project aims to develop new bioplastics with diverse properties. The team will computationally design complex enzymes within engineered bacteria to produce novel, sturdy bioplastics that can withstand high temperatures and be easily recycled into their original components?or biodegraded and composted if discarded in a landfill. These advances will strengthen supply chain resilience through the bioeconomy and open new directions in domestic manufacturing. Beyond scientific advancements, the initiative will include outreach to undergraduate students to train the next generation of biotechnologists, the development of new workshops on protein design and its real-world applications, and will provide open-source tools for future innovations in biomanufacturing. This interdisciplinary effort seeks to engineer polyketide synthases (pkss) to produce monomers for polyhydroxyalkanoates (phas) with enhanced thermal stability and recyclability. The focus is on creating hybrid pkss capable of synthesizing GEM-dimethylated phas (gdphas) through advanced computational protein design, addressing the longstanding challenge of slow turnover rates and poor domain interactions in engineered pkss. Researchers will identify and recombine PKS domains to enable programmable biosynthesis of 3-hydroxyacids with tunable properties, leveraging deep learning-powered design tools. These tools will optimize enzyme functionality, reprogram active sites, and enhance transient protein-protein interactions within pkss. Experimental design-build-test-learn cycles will validate the designs. Engineered pkss integrated with PHA synthases will enable bacterial production of phas resistant to high temperatures and suitable for depolymerization, allowing either biodegradation or recycling. The project will develop retrosynthesis workflows for PKS pathways, computational tools for protein design, and methodologies for high-GC DNA synthesis. By making these innovations broadly accessible, the work will advance enzyme engineering, support stem education, and foster domestic biomanufacturing. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.
Transactions
| Action | Obligated | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Amendment | $2,388,446 | |
| Original award | $2,572,498 |
Subawards
| Subrecipient | Amount | Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| The Regents Of The University Of California | $1,350,713 | |
| Twist Bioscience Corporation | $595,140 | |
| The Leland Stanford Junior University | $1,058,831 | |
| The Regents Of The University Of California. San Francisco | $938,688 |
Quick answers
Who received award 2448653?
2448653 was awarded to Purdue University by National Science Foundation on May 1, 2025.
How much is award 2448653 worth?
$4,960,944 has been obligated on 2448653.
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