The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences and the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems awarded a $240,000 Project Grant to the University of California Irvine (UC Irvine) under the NSF Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074). The grant supports collaborative research to develop unnatural cofactors that can be deployed as stronger-than-nature thermodynamic driving forces in biomanufacturing processes. This is intended to improve the carbon and energy efficiency of biosynthetic pathways for the production of commodity chemicals, fuels, and medicines. The research involves an integrated workflow spanning genome mining, directed evolution of enzymes, structural and biophysical studies, and machine learning-based analysis to establish design principles for protein-cofactor interactions. The project aims to advance biomanufacturing capabilities beyond what natural evolution has selected for, with the potential to better meet national needs for energy, food, commodities, and medicine. The award period is from September 1, 2023 to August 31, 2026. No sub-awards are planned under this grant.
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