Biomanufacturing Design Research Team
Rational cell design for enhanced production of valuable compounds via metabolic pathway engineering and enzyme creation
Team Director
Tomokazu Shirai Ph.D.
- 2007
- Ph.D. of Engineering, Department of Applied Biological Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University
- 2007
- Postdoctoral fellow, Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth
- 2008
- Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
- 2012
- Senior Scientist, Cell Factory Research Team, Biomass Engineering Program, RIKEN
- 2015
- Deputy Team Leader, Cell Factory Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
- 2021
- Senior Scientist, Cell Factory Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
- 2025
- Team Director, Biomanufacturing Design Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (-current)
| Main Research Fields : | Engineering |
|---|---|
| Related Research Fields : | Informatics / Chemistry / Biology / Biofunction and bioprocess engineering-related / Applied microbiology-related / System genome science-related |
| Keywords : | Synthetic biology / Metabolic engineering / Bioinformatics / Enzyme engineering / Bioengineering |
| project : | Sustainable Bioproduction  |
Outline
We are advancing research in synthetic biology aimed at biomanufacturing, including the bioproduction of valuable compounds derived from fossil resources and the enhancement of plant biomass yields. Our work focuses on designing artificial metabolic pathways for the biosynthesis of useful compounds, constructing artificial enzymes that catalyze non-natural reactions, and enhancing gene functions. We aim to establish efficient design technologies for cellular metabolism to enable high-level production of target compounds. By integrating these efforts with bioprocess design and optimizing the entire production system, we contribute to the realization of a sustainable, resource-circulating society—through initiatives such as greenhouse gas reduction and food security.Subjects
- Development of artificial enzyme creation technologies essential for metabolic design toward bio-production of non-natural compounds
- Development of novel metabolic design technologies for bioproduction of target compounds while maintaining cellular activity
- Improvement of artificial metabolic reaction design tools for enhancing feasibility of synthetic pathway construction
- Design of useful strain construction with gene libraries for cell design suitable for social implementation
- Expansion of rational synthetic biology into plant cells for biosynthesis of high value-added compounds
- Rational Production of Valuable Compounds through Construction of Artificial Metabolic Pathways
- By designing metabolic pathways computationally and constructing cells based on these designs, valuable compounds can be produced at high levels.
CONTACT
tomokazu.shirai [at] riken.jp
