SynMicBio Lab SIUC
Research
"We leverage microbial green chemistry & biotechnology to protect our globe"
Research Specialties: Synthetic Microbiology; Metabolic Engineering; Applied Microbiology; Microbial Fermentation; Microbial Stress Response; Molecular Biology
The growing concerns of petroleum-based fuels and chemicals on global climate change and environmental pollution (e.g., plastics in the environment) combined with the revolution of synthetic and systems biology have bolstered worldwide attention into the biological production of commodity chemicals, fuels, polymers, and pharmaceuticals via renewable resources including lignocellulosic biomass. However, to compete with the well-established petrochemical industry, improving microbial processes' yield, titer, and productivity is critical. Toxicity of substrate(s), intermediate metabolite(s), and end-product(s) on the microbial host is one of the fundamental limitations that must be overcome to create tailor-made cell factories for the realistic commercialization of renewable fuels, chemicals, and polymer production. In this research landscape, our laboratory focus on the identification and dissection of complex molecular mechanisms of microbial stress responses via systems biology approaches (e.g., multi-omics/megavariate data modeling). We exclusively target identifying the novel Post-translational Protein Modifications events (PPMs) such as ubiquitination, sumoylation, and chaperone-cascade in the stress resistance of microbes (model and non-model industrial microbial hosts). We are developing novel synthetic biology tools and metabolic engineering approaches to craft efficient microbial cell factories to produce value-added fuels, chemicals, polymers from renewable biomass, and unconventional substrates such as industrial wastewater and plastic waste.
Plastic Upcycling
We engineered the microbes and enzymes to selectively degrade the plastic into original monomers and then upcycle it into high-value chemicals and materials.
Sub-themes
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Engineer microbial chassis specific to plastic upcycling
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Engineering metabolic pathway to biofunnel plastic-derived substrates
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Develop enzyme cascades to upcycle plastic
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develop hybrid-chemobio upcycling approaches
We are developing E. aphidicola LJJL01 as a novel plastic upcycling platform
In-depth Understanding of Microbial Toxicity Tolerance to Chemical Stress
We aim to dissect the complex molecular mechanisms of microbes chemicals stress-responses through the systems biology approach, exclusively targeted to identify the novel post translational protein modifications events (PTMs) such as ubiquitination, sumoylation, and chaperone-cascade in stress resistance of microbes (model and industrial microbial hosts). We develop novel PTMs-based synthetic biology tools and metabolic engineering approaches to craft robust cell factories for the production of value-added fuels, chemicals from renewable biomass, agricultural, and industrial waste substrates, and enables plastic waste upcycling
Next Generation Fermented Food Production
We are working on revolutionizing microbial fermentation to produce customized and personalized food. For instance, we are engineering yeast to produce food ingredients from unconventional substrates (plastic to food).
Grants Funded
CAREER: Development of novel biocatalyst for consolidated bioprocessing of plastic (CBPP)
PI: Lahiru Jayakody
Agency: NSF-CBET (effective date: 10/01/2024 -09/31/2029)
Amount awarded: $624,500
Scaling Up Application of Antisense Treatment to Inhibit Harmful Algal Bloom Microcystin Toxin Production by Microcystis aeruginosa
PI: Scott D. Hamilton-Brehm (SIUC), co-PI-Marjorie Brooks (SIUC), co-PI: Lahiru Jayakody
Agency: United States Harmful Algal Bloom Control Technologies Incubator (effective 11/01/2023-10/30/2024)
Amount awarded: $194,083
Experimental-supported In-Silico Engineering of PET-eating Enzymes
PI: Thushari Jayasekara (SIUC), Poopalasingam Sivakumar (SIUC), co-PI: Lahiru Jayakody
Agency: AEI (effective date: 07/01/2022-06/30/2023)
Amount awarded: $25,000
Establishing the Southern Illinois BioLaunch Core Facility
PI: Matthew McCarroll, co-PI- Gary .Kinsel (SIUC), Lynn Andersen Lindberg (SIUC), Lahiru Jayakody
Agency: IDCE (effective: 12/2021-06/2024)
Amount awarded: $2,734,008
Green Tea for Green Plastic.
PI: Lahiru Jayakody, co-PI- Ken B. Anderson (SIUC), Matthew McCarroll (SIUC)
Company: Green Core LCC (Japan). (Effective: 10/2021-10/2024)
Amount awarded: $289,742
µBites: Next-generation 3D-printed space food derived from plastic and biomass
PI: Lahiru Jayakody, co-PI- Ken B. Anderson (SIUC), Matthew McCarroll (SIUC), Poopalasingam Sivakumar (SIUC), Scott D. Hamilton-Brehm (SIUC), Gayan Aruma Baduge (SIUC), Iwona Jasiuk (UIUC), Rina Tannenbaum (SBU), Kaustav Majumder (UNL)
Agency: NASA (effective: 12/2021-12/2022)
Amount awarded: $25,000
An investigation into the effects of hydro-sequestered biological/synthetic carbon polymers and conversion by subsurface microorganisms
PI: Scott D. Hamilton-Brehm (SIUC), co-PI: Lahiru Jayakody
Agency: ACERC (effective: 07/2021-06/2022)
Amount awarded: $25,000
