Plenary Lecture I

Prof. Pimchai Chaiyen

Professor and President at School of Biomolecular Science and Engineering,
Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC)

Thailand

H-index: 42 (record from Google Scholar)

Research

• Enzyme Mechanisms
• Enzyme Engineering and Biocatalysis
• Metabolic Engineering and Synthetic Biology
• Bioreporters

Background

Pimchai Chaiyen is professor at the School of Biomolecular Science and Engineering (BSE) and President of Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC), Thailand. Her research interests are in the broad areas of enzyme catalysis, enzyme engineering, systems biocatalysis, metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. Dr. Chaiyen’s lab team focuses on developing deep understanding insights into enzymatic mechanisms, discovering new and non-native enzymatic functions and re-routing of metabolic networks. Her group studies flavin-dependent, PLP-dependent, redox and aldolase enzymes. They have contributed significantly to the understanding of many fundamental aspects of these systems including mechanisms of oxygen activation by flavoenzymes, reduced flavin transfer between proteins, oxygenation, oxidation and halogenation by flavin-dependent enzymes.

Pimchai Chaiyen is among the most accomplished scientists in Thailand and in her research fields globally. She has received numerous awards, including L'oreal-Unesco Woman in Science Crystal Award for the most accomplished woman scientist in Thailand (2017), Outstanding Scientist of Thailand (2015) and Outstanding Researcher Award (2012). She also serves as Associate Editor of ACS Catalysis (2021-present).

Presentation

Enzyme Catalysis and Engineering for Sustainable Biotechnology

Our group interests are in the broad areas of enzyme catalysis, enzyme engineering, systems biocatalysis, metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. In this talk, I will highlight our recent and current work on engineering of enzymes and cofactor enhancing systems for creation of robust biocatalysts. We used mechanistic understanding and rational-engineering to improve performance of flavin-dependent halogenase and dehalogenase to improve their biocatalytic applications. Mechanistic studies of tryptophan 6-halogenase (Thal) have shown that the leakage of hypohalous acid causes inefficient halogenation by Thal. Through rational enzyme engineering, we have obtained the variant with less leakage of hypohalous acid and exhibits various superior properties. We also used a mechanism-guided strategy to discover the electrophilic halogenation activity catalyzed by non-native halogenases. We have created two types of in vivo enhancing systems to increase intermediates and cofactors which are common for product synthesis in metabolically engineered cells. One of the systems uses xylose reductase and lactose (XR/lactose), to increase levels of a pool of sugar-phosphates which are connected to the biosynthesis of NAD(P)H, FAD, FMN and ATP in Escherichia coli. The XR/lactose system could increase the amounts of the precursors of these cofactors and was tested with three different metabolically engineered cell systems (fatty alcohol biosynthesis, bioluminescence light generation and alkane biosynthesis) with different cofactor demands. Productivities of these cells were increased 2-4-fold by the XR/lactose system. Untargeted metabolomic analysis revealed different metabolite patterns among these cells; demonstrating that only metabolites involved in relevant cofactor biosynthesis were altered. We propose that the approach of increasing cellular sugar phosphates can be a generic tool to increase in vivo cofactor generation upon cellular demand for synthetic biology. We also developed of an enzymatic cascade and engineering of a flavin-dependent monooxygenase, HadA, which catalyzes the dehalogenation and denitration of the toxicants, nitro- and halogenated phenols, to benzoquinone. The HadA reaction was applied in one-pot reactions towards the de novo synthesis of D-luciferin. Currently, this technology allows us to develop a new method for synthesizing various D-luciferin analogues. As nitro- and halogenated phenols are key indicators of human overexposure to pesticides commonly used worldwide and indicators of pesticide contamination, the technology provides a sensitive and convenient tool for biomedical and environmental detection at ppb sensitivity in biological samples without the requirement for any pre-treatment.

Plenary Lecture II

Prof. Satchidananda Panda

Professor at Regulatory Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies

USA

H-index: 78 (record from Google Scholar)

Research

• Aging
• Cell biology
• Circadian rhythms depression
• Genetics
• Metabolism

Background

Satchin Panda received his PhD from the Scripps Research Institute and did a postdoc at Novartis research. For the last 20 years, his laboratory at the Salk Institute has been doing basic and translational research into how lifestyle interventions based on circadian rhythm can be used to combat major non-infectious chronic diseases. His lab discovered the concept of time-restricted feeding, which is the most popular form of intermittent fasting. His team is systematically studying how time-restricted feeding engages different genes and pathways in different organs to combat various chronic diseases.

Presentation

Pleiotropic Health Benefits of Time-Restricted Feeding

The global epidemic of obesity is driving a rapid increase in metabolic syndrome, which in turn contributes to several chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and dementia. To combat this diverse set of diseases, there is an urgent need for simple yet effective measures with widespread benefits across multiple organ systems that can be implemented at a population scale. Time-Restricted Feeding/Eating (TRF or TRE) is a circadian-based dietary intervention where daily energy intake is limited to a consistent 6-12 hour window without explicitly changing the quantity of food consumed. In laboratory animals, this approach sustains circadian expression of the majority of protein-coding genes in a tissue-specific manner. When fed an obesogenic diet, TRF can mitigate metabolic disorders such as adiposity, dyslipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, fatty liver disease, atherosclerosis, and gut dysbiosis. Research from various labs has also shown that this method can reduce the risk and impact of dementia and certain cancers. Genetic and multi-omics studies are beginning to uncover the extensive molecular pathways engaged during time-restricted feeding. This foundational research is likely to drive large clinical trials across diverse populations to assess the feasibility and sustainability of TRE as a population-level intervention to reduce the global burden of diseases.

Plenary Lecture III

Prof. Akihiko Kondo

Professor at Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kobe University

Japan

H-index: 102 (record from Google Scholar)

Research

• Synthetic Biology
• Metabolic Engineering
• Engineering Biology
• Biofoundry
• Biorefinery

Background

Akihiko Kondo received his Ph.D. from Kyoto University in Chemical Engineering (1988). He started working at Kobe University in 1995. Now, he is Vice President and Professor at the Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation. He is also deputy director of RIKEN CSRS and a member of the board of directors of four venture companies that he helped to set up. His research fields of expertise include synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, applied microbiology, bioengineering, biorefineries and biofoundries.

Presentation

Integrated Biofoundry for the Development of Smart Cells to Produce Chemicals and Fuels from Lignocellulose and Carbon Dioxide

Recently biotechnology is growing rapidly in a wide range of fields, including health, agriculture, and industry. The global market is expected to be worth up to 3-4 trillion USD by 2030. Engineering biology and biofoundry, discussed below, are driving this growth, which could be described as a bio-revolution. We have developed a number of basic technologies, such as the methods and programs to design new artificial gene clusters to produce target compounds, the base editor system, genome synthesis technology that enables the synthesis of long DNA strands of more than 100,000 bases, and automated systems for high-throughput analysis of metabolites. By integrating the results of these fundamental researches, we constructed the platform for rapid development of smart cells, i.e. robust cells with high production of target compounds. In the platform, the digitized biological information is used to design functions such as metabolic pathways designed in "Design: D", the designed microbial cells are generated in parallel and rapidly using robotics in "Build: B", and the constructed microorganisms are evaluated in high-throughput using automated equipment in "Test: T". The obtained data is then subjected to machine learning, etc., to extract rules, "Learn: L" and the design is further improved. By rapidly rotating this DBTL cycle, we can rapidly construct smart cells. Furthermore, by accumulating the data obtained in this DBTL cycle in the system, a database and knowledge base can be constructed to further shorten the development time. This platform is called the DBTL biofoundry. Furthermore, in order to realize bio-production at high speed, fermentation production technology using smart cells needs to be scaled up rapidly. Such platforms are referred to as production process development biofoundry. The DBTL biofoundry is linked to the production process development biofoundry and is referred to as the integrated biofoundry. This area has recently come to be known as “engineering biology”. It is a field that combines synthetic biology with digital technology, robotics technology, and process development technology.

We have transferred the university's research results on DBTL biofoundry to the start-up company Bacchus Bio innovation. On the other hand, JGC, Japan's largest engineering company, has developed the biofoundry for the production process, and by linking them together, we aim to build an integrated biofoundry in Kobe city.

The policy announced in June last year set biomanufacturing as a priority area in science and technology. The Green Innovation Fund has a budget of approximately 170 billion yen for biomanufacturing from carbon dioxide, and the Biomanufacturing Revolution Promotion Project has a budget of 300 billion yen for biomanufacturing from waste and other unused resources, which will strongly promote research in these two important areas in Japan. The key here is "integrated biofoundry" technology. If biomanufacturing from carbon dioxide and unused resources can be achieved quickly using integrated biofoundry, GX can be greatly advanced. In this presentation, the current status of integrated biofoundry development and the promotion of GX through the realization of biomanufacturing will be discussed.

Plenary Lecture IV

Prof. Seung-Wuk Lee

Professor, Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley

USA

H-index: 46 (record from Google Scholar)

Research

• Biomimetic Interfacial Nanomaterials
• Protein-Cellular Interfaces
• Protein-Organic Material Interfaces
• Protein-Inorganic Material Interfaces
• Protein-Electric Interfaces

Background

Professor Lee earned his B.S and M.S. from Korea University (Seoul) and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin (2003). After a postdoctoral fellowship at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, he joined a faculty position at UC Berkeley in 2006, was promoted to Associate Professor (2011) with tenure, a full professor (2015). He is also a Faculty Scientist, LBNL Physical Bioscience Division. The Lee group uses chemical and biological approaches to create precisely defined nanomaterials, to investigate complex phenomena at their interfaces, and to develop novel, biomimetic, functional materials. Among other awards, Professor Lee is R&D 100 Award (2013 & 2015) and an NSF CAREER awardee. He is a fellow at American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Dr. Lee’s on going research was chosen as one of 12 highlight researches chosen by the President Obama’s National Science Foundation Report for the US Congress entitled “Manufacturing Goes Viral” (2014) and chosen as one of top five Future Nanomanufacturings by Scientific American (2013). In 2022, he is a recipient of NSF Engineering Frontier Research Innovation Award. 

Presentation

Bio-inspired Self-templating Material and Applications

In nature, helical macromolecules such as collagen, chitin and cellulose are critical to the morphogenesis and functionality of various hierarchically structured materials. During morphogenesis, these chiral macromolecules are secreted and undergo self-templating assembly, a process whereby multiple kinetic factors influence the assembly of the incoming building blocks to produce non-equilibrium structures. A single macromolecule can form diverse functional structures when self-templated under different conditions. Collagen type I, for instance, forms transparent corneal tissues from orthogonally aligned nematic fibers, distinctively colored skin tissues from cholesteric phase fiber bundles, and mineralized tissues from hierarchically organized fibers. Nature’s self-templated materials surpass the functional and structural complexity achievable by current top-down and bottom-up fabrication methods. However, self-templating has not been thoroughly explored for engineering synthetic materials.

In my lecture, I will demonstrate a facile biomimetic process to create functional nanomaterials utilizing chiral colloidal particles (M13 phage). A single-step process produces long-range-ordered, supramolecular films showing multiple levels of hierarchical organization and helical twist. Using the self-templating materials assembly processes, we have created various biomimetic supramolecular structures. The resulting materials show distinctive optical and photonic properties similar to avian skin color matrices and butterfly wing nanostructures. Through the directed evolution of the M13 phages, I will also show how resulting materials can be utilized as functional nanomaterials for biomedical, biosensor, bioenergy, and biomining applications.

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