Beau Dronsella
@beaubd.bsky.social
📤 85
📥 96
📝 9
Postdoc in the Erblab working on synthetic carbon fixation
pinned post!
Super excited to see my main PhD project finally out in
@naturemicrobiol.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
. We show for the first time that a synthetic and engineered pathway can indeed exceed nature at one-carbon fixation.
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One-carbon fixation via the synthetic reductive glycine pathway exceeds yield of the Calvin cycle - Nature Microbiology
An engineered one-carbon-fixation pathway increases biomass yields of Cupriavidus necator compared with the Calvin cycle and can support future, sustainable bio-based production.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-025-01941-9
10 months ago
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Beau Dronsella
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology 🌱🧪
about 1 month ago
Looking for a
#PhDposition
in
#PlantScience
? Our
#IMPRS
@mpi-mp-potsdam.bsky.social
and
@unipotsdam.bsky.social
is
#hiring
! 📅 Apply by 10 January 2026 More info: 👉
www.mpimp-golm.mpg.de/IMPRS-PhD
Please share this post to plant it in the right feed 🌱
#PlantSciJobs
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Claudia Vickers
about 1 month ago
Our new paper is out: we present a quantitative framework to assess how (bio)tech interventions in plant agriculture could meaningfully contribute to climate mitigation. This may be the most important paper I ever publish
#SyntheticBiology
#ClimateAction
#Agriculture
#Biochar
doi.org/10.1093/plph...
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Harnessing plant agriculture to mitigate climate change: A framework to evaluate synthetic biology (and other) interventions
The scale of plant agriculture can be used to mitigate climate change, and meaningful targets (synthetic biology and comparators) can be selected to increa
https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf410
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Nico Claassens
about 1 month ago
Newest preprint from our lab: a new family of promising synthetic CO2 fixation cycles that may outcompete the Calvin cycle and that Vittorio Rainaldi realized to a great extent in E. coli! Up to 11 heterologous enzymes in a cascade supporting CO2 fixation & growth!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Modular in vivo engineering of the reductive methylaspartate cycles for synthetic CO2 fixation
Biological carbon fixation is currently limited to seven naturally occurring pathways. Synthetic carbon fixation pathways have the potential to surpass aerobic natural pathways in efficiency, but none...
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.12.688011v1
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René Inckemann
2 months ago
Very excited to finally share my PhD paper, about advancing
#chloroplast
#synbio
through high-throughput plastome engineering of
#Chlamydomonas
. Huge thanks to the whole team!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Ralf Reski
2 months ago
Please check out our improved
#preprint
: CRISPR/Cas9 targeted genetic screening in Physcomitrella identifies novel cell division genes Thank you, Elena Kozgunova for taking the lead.
#Physcomitrella
#celldivision
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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CRISPR/Cas9 targeted genetic screening in Physcomitrella identifies novel cell division genes
Although plants share core cell division mechanisms with other eukaryotes, their unique features, such as acentrosomal spindle formation and cytokinesis via the phragmoplast, suggest the existence of ...
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.12.642918v2
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Sebastian Wenk
2 months ago
🔥🔥🔥 Friday Evening, Paper Out, Feierabend 🔥🔥🔥 When evolution and enzyme engineering team up, they can convince microbes to assimilate sustainable carbon substrates preparing them for a life in a circular bioeconomy.
doi.org/10.1016/j.ym...
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Redirecting
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymben.2025.10.004
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Beau Dronsella
3 months ago
🚀 Thrilled to share our new Nature Communications article: “A blueprint for designing the next-generation of synthetic C1 microbes” We propose a framework to unlock sustainable, carbon-efficient biomanufacturing using non-canonical hosts. 🔗
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A short 🧵1/4
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A blueprint for designing the next-generation of synthetic C1 microbes - Nature Communications
Synthetic one-carbon assimilation could contribute to a more sustainable and circular carbon economy, but much work in this field has focused on model microorganisms. Here the authors provide their perspective on the potential value of non-model microbes, and how that potential could be realised.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-64483-y
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Beau Dronsella
Stefano Donati
5 months ago
1/ 🚨 New preprint! We've developed a robust IDMS-based LC-MS/MS workflow for high-throughput intracellular metabolomics in diverse bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#Metabolomics
#MassSpec
#SystemsBiology
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A Robust Isotope Ratio LC-MS/MS Workflow for High-Throughput Metabolic Profiling of Bacteria
Stable isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) has become a cornerstone of quantitative metabolomics, enabling accurate intracellular metabolite quantification across a range of biological systems. ...
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.08.669109
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Beau Dronsella
Typas Lab
5 months ago
EMBL is back on hiring faculty! Check out the multiple open positions: 3 PIs- 2 in Heidelberg incl. our Molecular Systems Biology Unit, 1 in Grenoble 1 Head of Unit (Cell Biology & Biophysics, Heidelberg). Closing deadlines in Sep! +3 more positions to come out then, stay tuned...
@embl.org
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Stefano Donati
5 months ago
Now published in Microbial Biotechnology!
enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
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Helena Schulz-Mirbach
6 months ago
#Growth-coupled
#selection
just got an update ! In the last years, E. coli selection strains for
#central
,
#amino
#acid
and
#energy
metabolism intermediates were created by the community. So, we compiled them and revisit the core concepts of growth coupling.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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Escherichia coli selection strains for growth-coupled metabolic engineering
Synthetic metabolism has the potential to transform carbon capture, bioremediation, or bioproduction strategies. To transfer metabolic designs from an…
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167779925002525
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Lennart Schada von Borzyskowski
6 months ago
Ethylene glycol is widely used as monomer of the plastic PET. It is therefore highly relevant as sustainable feedstock for microbial biotechnology. In our new paper in
@natcomms.nature.com
, we characterize efficient enzymes for ethylene glycol oxidation:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Beau Dronsella
Enrico Orsi
7 months ago
🎉 Excited to share that I’ve received an Emerging Investigator Grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation! I’ll start my research group in Jan 2026 to develop universal cell factories for P2X & CO₂-based biomanufacturing 🌱🔬 👉
researchleaderprogramme.com/recipients/e...
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Johannes Rebelein
7 months ago
Leveraging spectroscopic and structural approaches we obtained new insights into the role of
#ferredoxins
in N2 fixation. Just published in Chemistry – A European Journal:
doi.org/10.1002/chem...
! Great work by Holly Addison. Fantastic collaboration with Antonio Pierik on the EPR characterization.
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Two Key Ferredoxins for Nitrogen Fixation Have Different Specificities and Biophysical Properties
Two ferredoxins, FdC and FdN, are collectively essential for the process of nitrogen fixation by the iron nitrogenase in R. capsulatus. We explore the biophysical factors, through spectroscopic and s....
https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202500844
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Enrico Orsi
7 months ago
www.sciencenews.dk/en/designed-...
Piece from
ScienceNews.dk
on our glyoxylate and glycolate sensor strains
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Designed bacteria can detect specific molecules
Researchers have developed a computer-guided method for designing and engineering bacteria that can detect the presence of specific molecules in the environment. This method will advance the use...
https://www.sciencenews.dk/en/designed-bacteria-can-detect-specific-molecules
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Beau Dronsella
Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology
8 months ago
📢 We are proud and delighted that our Microbes for Climate (M4C) Cluster of Excellence has been selected for the 2025 Excellence Strategy! 🌟Together with
@unimarburg.bsky.social
, we look forward to exciting #microbe research – stay tuned!
@unimarburg.bsky.social
@maxplanck.de
@synmikro.bsky.social
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Beau Dronsella
Universität Marburg
8 months ago
🎉Doppelerfolg für die
#UniMarburg
in der Exzellenzstrategie! 🎉 Zwei Cluster zu Klimawandel und menschlicher Wahrnehmung sichern sich Förderung. Marburg beweist Forschungsstärke und Innovationskraft.🚀
@proloewe.bsky.social
@synmikro.bsky.social
@maxplanck.de
@jlugiessen.bsky.social
@tuda.bsky.social
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Marburg feiert Doppelerfolg in der Exzellenzstrategie
Zwei Cluster erhalten Förderung im wichtigsten deutschen Forschungswettbewerb
https://www.uni-marburg.de/de/aktuelles/news/2025/marburg-feiert-doppelerfolg-in-der-exzellenzstrategie
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Edward Smith
9 months ago
Really impressive work from Ari and the team - going from an idea all the way to a functional pathway using the latest synbio tools! The CORE cycle is another carbon fixing route that could be used as an alternative to photorespiration in plants. Interested to see where this goes next! 🌱📈
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Groundbreaking work just dropped🔥.
@ari-satanowski.bsky.social
and Daniel Marchal engineered new-to-nature CO2 reduction at ambient conditions via ATP-driven cycles for CO2->formate in vivo. All kinds of fancy experiments in here and a real seminal contribution to the field👏. Check it out!
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9 months ago
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Ari Satanowski
9 months ago
Excited to share a main project from my PhD, out now in
@naturecomms.bsky.social
! 📝 We've designed and brought to life the “CORE cycle” – a new-to-nature pathway that provides a novel route for biological CO2 capture 🦠🌱
nature.com/articles/s41...
Take a look! Thread below... 🧵
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Andreas P.M. Weber 🌾🌱🧬
9 months ago
An energy-efficient pathway for aerobic production of formate from CO2, the CORE cycle. Could become part of a novel CO2-fixing photorespiration bypass design. Congrats
@ari-satanowski.bsky.social
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Edward Smith
9 months ago
As well as CO2 Rubisco reacts with O2: plants evolved photorespiration to deal with the consequences. It works, but synthetic biology can do better! 🔄 We used metabolic modeling to compare alternative pathways to boost crop yields 🌱 🧵
#ScienceAdvancesResearch
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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Alternatives to photorespiration: A system-level analysis reveals mechanisms of enhanced plant productivity
Computational modeling reveals how engineering plants with alternative pathways to photorespiration could boost crop yields.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adt9287
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Andreas P.M. Weber 🌾🌱🧬
9 months ago
"We show that carbon-fixing APs are the most promising candidates to replace native photorespiration in major crop species." Alternatives to photorespiration: A system-level analysis reveals mechanisms of enhanced plant productivity | Science Advances
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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Alternatives to photorespiration: A system-level analysis reveals mechanisms of enhanced plant productivity
Computational modeling reveals how engineering plants with alternative pathways to photorespiration could boost crop yields.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adt9287
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Beau Dronsella
Stefano Donati
9 months ago
📢 Preprint alert! In this study we provide new genomic insights into
#CupriavidusNecator
for
#C1Biomanufacturing
: - Genome assemblies for more strains - Species definition refined - Traits & methylation systems explored Great job by
@magnusgj.bsky.social
and team
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Comparative genomic assessment of the Cupriavidus necator species for one-carbon based biomanufacturing
The transition from a petroleum-based manufacturing to biomanufacturing is an important step towards a sustainable bio-economy. In particular biotechnological processes which use one carbon (C1) compo...
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.26.645245v1
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🚨Check out this amwesome new CRISPR tool for highly efficient genome engineering in C. necator led by
@dellavallesimo.bsky.social
and
@eorsi.bsky.social
🔥🔥🔥
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10 months ago
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Beau Dronsella
Diethard Mattanovich
10 months ago
We are announcing about 30 PhD positions in the
@fwf-at.bsky.social
Cluster of Excellence Circular Bioengineering
www.circularbioengineering.at/jobs
9 projects open in Progamme 2 (Self-Sustainable Microbial Systems) in 4 Austrian Universities
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Check out Sebastians crazy effort to engineer E. coli to grow on formate via the synthetic Serine-Threonine-Cycle. In contrast to the rGlyp the STC works even at ambient CO2!🔥
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10 months ago
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Check out this amazing work on engineering, characterizing and using six novel glyoxylate sensor strains led by
@eorsi.bsky.social
and
@helenasm.bsky.social
🔥🎊🥳 Read Helenas nice post below to get the full picture.
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10 months ago
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Pablo Ivan Nikel
10 months ago
Computation-aided designs enable developing auxotrophic
#metabolic
#sensors
for wide-range glyoxylate and glycolate detection—spearheaded by Enrico Orsi w/a choral assembly of cool collaborators
@naturecomms.bsky.social
#SynBio
#OpenAccess
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Computation-aided designs enable developing auxotrophic metabolic sensors for wide-range glyoxylate and glycolate detection - Nature Communications
Auxotrophic metabolic sensors (AMS) are vital for bioengineering but are often time-consuming to develop. Here, the authors present a workflow for designing versatile AMS, demonstrating their use for ...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57407-3
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Beau Dronsella
Microbial Biotechnology (MBT)
10 months ago
# MicroSky: Engineered archaea for sustainable bisabolene production! Researchers modified Methanosarcina acetivorans to produce α-bisabolene from one-carbon substrates—an eco-friendly alternative to plant-derived or synthetic methods
doi.org/10.1111/1751...
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Beau Dronsella
Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology
10 months ago
Synthetic Carbon fixation just got a boost 🚀: Synthetic Biology outperformed Nature in a Living Bacterium. Check out the new work from @BDronsella @erblabs together with @NicoC_MicSynBio @MIB_WUR
#synbio
,
#formatebioeconomy
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Synthetic Carbon Assimilation Surpasses Nature
For the first time, an international collaboration has demonstrated that synthetic carbon assimilation can operate more efficiently in a living system than its natural counterpart. Researchers in Tobias Erb’s lab at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology engineered a synthetic metabolic pathway into a bacterium and showed in a direct comparison that it can generate significantly more biomass from the one-carbon compound formic acid and CO₂ than the natural bacterial strain.
https://www.mpi-marburg.mpg.de/1493129/2025-02-a?c=1384713
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Please also check out the great News and Views article accompanying our story 🔥https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-025-01943-7
10 months ago
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Super excited to see my main PhD project finally out in
@naturemicrobiol.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
. We show for the first time that a synthetic and engineered pathway can indeed exceed nature at one-carbon fixation.
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One-carbon fixation via the synthetic reductive glycine pathway exceeds yield of the Calvin cycle - Nature Microbiology
An engineered one-carbon-fixation pathway increases biomass yields of Cupriavidus necator compared with the Calvin cycle and can support future, sustainable bio-based production.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-025-01941-9
10 months ago
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Beau Dronsella
Pablo Ivan Nikel
11 months ago
Preprint alert🚨Systematic
#engineering
of synthetic serine cycles in
#Pseudomonas
putida uncovers emergent topologies for
#methanol
assimilation ·
@biorxivpreprint.bsky.social
led by Òscar Puiggené
#SynBio
#Methylotrophy
#CircularEconomy
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Beau Dronsella
Savage Lab
11 months ago
What limits rubisco function? Is it the chemical mechanism? Evolution? In this paper,
@prywes.bsky.social
et. al explore this question by assaying >99% of single amino acid mutants in Form II rubisco (1/7)
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
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Beau Dronsella
Kerstin Göpfrich
about 1 year ago
We have an open professorship in
#synbio
/ biological engineering in Heidelberg!
jobs.zeit.de/jobs/full-pr...
Check it out!
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Full Professorship (W3) in Molecular Biology (f/m/d) with a Focus on Biological Engineering - Universität Heidelberg
Universität Heidelberg bietet Stelle als Full Professorship (W3) in Molecular Biology (f/m/d) with a Focus on Biological Engineering in Heidelberg - jetzt bewerben!
https://jobs.zeit.de/jobs/full-professorship-w3-in-molecular-biology-f-m-d-with-a-focus-on-biological-engineering-universitaet-heidelberg-heidelberg-1094620
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Beau Dronsella
Steven Burgess
11 months ago
It's a good week for rubisco enthusiasts - very cool preprint from Ron Milo lab
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
impressive screening of +250 genes spanning available diversity of rubisco, this then used to predict activities of 68,000 known sequences revealing role of phylogeny and habitat
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Rubisco is slow across the tree of life
Rubisco is the main gateway through which inorganic carbon enters the biosphere, catalyzing the vast majority of carbon fixation on Earth. This pivotal enzyme has long been observed to be kinetically ...
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.19.633714v1
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