Professor Michael Jewett, an esteemed figure in bioengineering and chemical engineering, is spearheading a significant initiative at his lab, known as ReForm. This project focuses on transforming carbon emissions into acetyl-CoA, a crucial biological building block, with the goal of mitigating the effects of climate change. Jewett’s lab has long aimed to enhance the functionality of biological processes, and ReForm represents a new frontier in their efforts.
In collaboration with Professor Ashty Karim from Northwestern University, Jewett’s team is addressing a critical challenge: while nature has developed mechanisms to fix carbon, it predominantly converts it into biomass rather than more valuable products. The duo’s objective is to redesign this process through innovative cell-free systems that prioritize the production of useful substrates.
Karim explained the lab’s approach, stating, “We sought to use biological enzymes to convert formate derived from CO2 into more valuable materials. Because there isn’t a set of enzymes in nature that can do that efficiently, we decided to engineer one.” Their engineered process involves one natural enzyme and five synthetic ones that convert formate from carbon dioxide into acetyl-CoA.
The foundation of ReForm builds upon the previously discovered transformation of carbon dioxide into formate. Jewett and Karim are refining this process to create a more efficient system. They are currently conducting experiments to test various combinations of amino acids, aiming to establish the most effective pathway to producing acetyl-CoA.
Brenda Wang, a former researcher in the Jewett Lab, highlighted the lab’s commitment to making biology relevant to contemporary challenges. The lab utilizes a “cell-free system,” which employs non-living cells to simplify complex biochemical processes. Wang noted, “The majority of the lab now focuses on using the cell-free system as a tool, as a platform to be able to do whatever application we want.”
As the researchers continue to advance ReForm, they are also prioritizing economic feasibility. Their immediate goal is to enhance the space-time yield, which could significantly increase acetyl-CoA production. This involves developing stabilized enzymes that operate more rapidly, thereby shortening the overall production timeline.
The implications of this research extend beyond carbon transformation. The lab is also actively addressing the growing issue of antibiotic resistance, a problem that could rival cancer in prevalence within the next fifty years, according to Jewett. To combat this, the team is working on creating conjugate vaccines that will help the immune system recognize and fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Karim emphasized how this work merges biological processes with electrochemistry and other fields, stating, “This work shows how biological processes can be coupled successfully with electrochemistry or other technologies, merging the best the research in each field has to offer.”
As Jewett Lab continues to innovate and push the boundaries of science, their mission remains clear: to utilize biology to create solutions that benefit both people and the planet. Through projects like ReForm, they aim to build a sustainable future, molecule by molecule.
