RESEARCH FIELD

Metabolic Engineering

Metabolic engineering applies genetic and molecular tools to modify the metabolic networks of cells — most commonly yeasts, bacteria, and mammalian cell lines — to overproduce desired compounds or degrade target substrates. It sits at the intersection of systems biology, synthetic biology, and fermentation technology, using quantitative models to design strain modifications that redirect carbon flux toward target molecules including biofuels, commodity chemicals, pharmaceutical precursors, food ingredients, and proteins. Genome-scale models of metabolism combined with 13C isotope labelling metabolic flux analysis reveal bottlenecks in engineered pathways. CRISPR-based tools enable precise multi-gene manipulation, while automated Design-Build-Test-Learn cycles accelerate strain optimisation. The field is central to the bioeconomy transition, with metabolic engineering companies producing chemicals and materials previously derived from petrochemicals. Funding comes from biotechnology companies, the US Department of Energy, and national bioeconomy initiatives.