Atsumi Lab Research

Overall goals

An increased understanding of system properties underlying cellular networks enables us to construct novel systems by assembling the components and the control systems into new combinations. We are applying this approach to the field of metabolic engineering, which strives for the optimization of desired properties and functions, such as the production of valuable biochemicals. The production of valuable chemicals from microorganisms suites to solve some significant challenges, such as converting renewable feedstocks into energy-rich biofuels. Currently, our main focus is developing synthetic organisms capable of converting CO₂ directly to bioproducts.

Biological Conversion of CO2 to Valuable Chemicals

The primary objective of this project is to construct a platform using photosynthetic microorganisms such as cyanobacteria to directly and sustainably convert CO₂ to valuable chemicals, and to gain understanding of the complex behavior of photosynthetic metabolism in order to engineer systems with increased efficiency. It has become increasingly important to develop new technologies to reduce CO₂ emissions. My group is using cyanobacteria as a production host to integrate the natural photosynthetic and CO₂ fixation capabilities with synthetic chemical production. Cyanobacteria offer advantages for microbial fuel and chemical production, including use of non-arable land, high-efficiency photon harvesting, and direct chemical production without a biomass intermediate.

Biological Production of Valuable Chemicals

The production of valuable chemicals from microorganisms has substantial potential to solve some of society’s significant challenges, such as converting renewable resources into energy-rich molecules and producing useful drugs with reduced cost. Metabolic manipulation not only allows the production of natural metabolites, but also enables the microbial synthesis of non-natural metabolites by engineering key enzymes and constructing novel biosynthetic pathways.