Researchers at the Jewett Lab in the United States have launched an ambitious initiative named ReForm, aimed at addressing climate change by converting carbon dioxide waste into acetyl-CoA, a vital building block for biological processes. Led by Michael Jewett, a professor of bioengineering and chemical engineering, the project seeks to innovate carbon fixation methods to produce more beneficial materials than those currently yielded by nature.
Transforming Carbon Dioxide into Valuable Products
In collaboration with Ashty Karim, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at Northwestern University, the Jewett Lab is re-engineering natural processes to enhance carbon utilization. Traditional carbon fixation primarily results in biomass, but the team is focused on creating a system that yields valuable substrates instead.
“We sought to use biological enzymes to convert formate derived from CO2 into more valuable materials,” Karim explained in a correspondence. The scientists aim to harness a combination of one natural and five engineered enzymes to facilitate this transformation, thus turning carbon dioxide into acetyl-CoA.
The ReForm initiative builds upon previously established research that successfully converts carbon dioxide into formate, with the goal of engineering a more efficient system. The team experimented with various combinations of amino acids to establish the shortest pathway to produce acetyl-CoA.
Pushing the Boundaries of Synthetic Metabolism
Jewett describes their work as a way to “rethink the paradigm of synthetic metabolism and push the concept to new limits.” As the project progresses, the focus is on making this innovative process economically viable. Currently, the researchers are seeking to improve space-time yield, which would drastically increase the production capacity of acetyl-CoA.
To achieve this, they are developing stabilized enzymes that operate more rapidly, thereby reducing the overall processing time. The lab’s previous research into antibiotic resistance and water contamination provides a solid foundation for tackling the challenges of carbon pollution.
Brenda Wang, a former researcher at the Jewett Lab, emphasized the lab’s commitment to applying biological solutions to contemporary problems. The lab utilizes a cell-free system that employs broken-open, non-living cells, effectively minimizing structural barriers and complexity in metabolic processes.
“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,” Wang stated. This flexible system enables the researchers to explore a broad range of projects, including efforts to combat antibiotic resistance.
Jewett warns that antibiotic resistance could become as prevalent as cancer within the next 50 years, posing serious risks to global health. The lab is developing conjugate vaccines designed to target antibiotic-resistant bacteria by teaching the immune system to recognize specific “bacteria fingerprints.”
Karim noted that their work illustrates how biological processes can effectively integrate with electrochemistry and other technologies, merging the strengths of various research fields to create impactful solutions. The ReForm initiative exemplifies the lab’s dedication to advancing both human and planetary health through innovative scientific approaches.
