{"678411":{"#nid":"678411","#data":{"type":"news","title":"A New Carbon-Negative Method to Produce Essential Amino Acids","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAmino acids are essential for nearly every process in the human body. Often referred to as \u2018the building blocks of life,\u2019 they are also critical for commercial\u0026nbsp;use in products ranging from pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements, to cosmetics, animal feed, and industrial chemicals.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAnd while our bodies naturally make amino acids, manufacturing them for commercial use can be costly \u2014 and that process often emits greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide (CO2).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EIn a landmark study, a team of researchers has created a first-of-its kind methodology for synthesizing amino acids that uses more carbon than it emits. The research also makes strides toward making the system cost-effective and scalable for commercial use.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cTo our knowledge, it\u2019s the first time anyone has synthesized amino acids in a carbon-negative way using this type of biocatalyst,\u201d says lead corresponding author\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/peralta-yahya.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPamela Peralta-Yahya\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, who emphasizes that the system provides a win-win for industry and environment. \u201cCarbon dioxide is readily available, so it is a low-cost feedstock \u2014 and the system has the added bonus of removing a powerful greenhouse gas from the atmosphere, making the synthesis of amino acids environmentally friendly, too.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe study, \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/10.1021\/acssynbio.4c00359\u0022\u003ECarbon Negative Synthesis of Amino Acids Using a Cell-Free-Based Biocatalyst,\u003C\/a\u003E\u201d published today in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/journal\/asbcd6\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EACS Synthetic Biology\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, is publicly available. The research was led by Georgia Tech in collaboration with the University of Washington, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and the University of Minnesota.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe Georgia Tech research contingent includes\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EPeralta-Yahya, a professor with joint appointments in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/pamela-peralta-yahya\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.chbe.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E (ChBE); first author\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EShaafique Chowdhury\u003C\/strong\u003E, a Ph.D. student in ChBE;\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003ERay Westenberg\u003C\/strong\u003E, a Ph.D student in Bioengineering; and Georgia Tech alum\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EKimberly Wennerholm\u003C\/strong\u003E (B.S. ChBE \u201923).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECostly chemicals\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThere are two key challenges to synthesizing amino acids on a large scale: the cost of materials, and the speed at which the system can generate amino acids.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EWhile many living systems like cyanobacteria can synthesize amino acids from CO2, the rate at which they do it is too slow to be harnessed for industrial applications, and these systems can only synthesize a limited number of chemicals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ECurrently, most commercial amino acids are made using bioengineered microbes. \u201cThese specially designed organisms convert sugar or plant biomass into fuel and chemicals,\u201d explains first author Chowdhury, \u201cbut valuable food resources are consumed if sugar is used as the feedstock \u2014 and pre-processing plant biomass is costly.\u201d These processes also release CO2 as a byproduct.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EChowdhury says the team was curious \u201cif we could develop a commercially viable system that could use carbon dioxide as a feedstock. We wanted to build a system that could quickly and efficiently convert CO2 into critical amino acids, like glycine and serine.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe team was particularly interested in what could be accomplished by a \u2018cell-free\u2019 system that leveraged some process of a cellular system \u2014 but didn\u2019t actually involve living cells, Peralta-Yahya says, adding that systems using living cells need to use part of their CO2 to fuel their own metabolic processes, including cell growth, and have not yet produced sufficient quantities of amino acids.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cPart of what makes a cell-free system so efficient,\u201d Westenberg explains, \u201cis that it can use cellular enzymes without needing the cells themselves. By generating the enzymes and combining them in the lab, the system can directly convert carbon dioxide into the desired chemicals. Because there are no cells involved, it doesn\u2019t need to use the carbon to support cell growth \u2014 which vastly increases the amount of amino acids the system can produce.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA novel solution\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EWhile scientists have used cell-free systems before, one of the necessary chemicals, the cell lysate biocatalyst, is extremely costly. For a cell-free system to be economically viable at scale, the team needed to limit the amount of cell lysate the system needed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAfter creating the ten enzymes necessary for the reaction, the team attempted to dilute the biocatalyst using a technique called \u2018volumetric expansion.\u2019 \u201cWe found that the biocatalyst we used was active even after being diluted 200-fold,\u201d Peralta-Yahya explains. \u201cThis allows us to use significantly less of this high-cost material \u2014 while simultaneously increasing feedstock loading and amino acid output.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a novel application of a cell-free system, and one with the potential to transform both how amino acids are produced, and the industry\u2019s impact on our changing climate.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThis research provides a pathway for making this method cost-effective and scalable,\u201d Peralta-Yahya says. \u201cThis system might one day be used to make chemicals ranging from aromatics and terpenes, to alcohols and polymers, and all in a way that not only reduces our carbon footprint, but improves it.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFunding: Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research Program.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EDOI: \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/10.1021\/acssynbio.4c00359\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E10.1021\/acssynbio.4c00359\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn a landmark study led by Georgia Tech, researchers demonstrate a first-of-its kind way to synthesize amino acids that uses more carbon than it emits. The research also makes strides toward making the system cost-effective and scalable for commercial use.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"In a landmark study led by Georgia Tech, researchers demonstrate a first-of-its kind way to synthesize amino acids that uses more carbon than it emits."}],"uid":"35599","created_gmt":"2024-11-13 16:33:58","changed_gmt":"2024-11-21 17:00:44","author":"sperrin6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2024-11-21T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2024-11-21T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"675623":{"id":"675623","type":"image","title":"Glycine, one of the critical amino acids that the system coverts carbon dioxide into. (Image Credit: NASA)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EGlycine, one of the critical amino acids that the system coverts carbon dioxide into. (Image Credit: NASA)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1731515929","gmt_created":"2024-11-13 16:38:49","changed":"1731515929","gmt_changed":"2024-11-13 16:38:49","alt":"Glycine, one of the critical amino acids that the system coverts carbon dioxide into. 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