Principal Investigator
Researcher
Email:syang@sibs.ac.cn
Personal Web: http://people.ucas.edu.cn/~yangsheng

Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS

1995-2000 Ph.D., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences.  

1991-1995 B.E., Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.  

Academic Experience 

2006-present Professor, Institute of Plant Physiology & Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences 

2002-2006 Associate Professor, Institute of Plant Physiology & Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences           

2000-2002 Research Associate, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences 

Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances (Anne E. Marteel et al., 2003). The US Environmental Protection Agency presented five projects each year as Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards since 1996. Biocatalysis has won more than a quarter of 114 awards [https://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry]. However, application of biocatalysis in chemical industry is still quite limited partially because the development and implementation of biocatalysts is rather slow compared to chemical synthesis (Keasling et al., 2012).  

Key advances in DNA sequencing and gene synthesis provide tremendous resource and possibility for building biocatalysts by functional expression and reorganization of enzymes into new biosynthetic pathways (Bornscheuer et al., 2012). Our overall research goal is the development of synthetic biology-based biocatalysts for industrial use by providing new enabling technologies and novel designs. Our scientific objectives include 1) a more efficient enzyme production protocol and facility for synthetic chemistry, 2) more efficient microbial genome editing tools for faster construction of designer cells, and 3) building genetically defined cells to understand the mechanism behind the efficient catalytic performance of evolved biocatalysts.  

A consensus biocatalysts enzymes production process was established on Escherichia coli T7 expression system with 2000 L fermentation capability. More than 200 biocatalysts enzymes have been made upon requests from synthetic chemistry. 19 enzymes have been used for producing 13 fine chemicals commercially in recent 5 years. CRISPR-Cas based genome editing tools have been setup for 10 microorganisms and are under adaptation in more microbial species with a diversified CRISPR-Cas nucleases collection. A rational designed and adaptive evolved xylose fermenting yeast has been used for commercially production of cellulosic ethanol in the United States and Brazil. The molecular mechanism behind its outstanding performance is currently under investigation through genotype reconstruction, as well as others evolved cells, such as an L-arginine hyperproducer Corynebacterium glutamicum strain. 

Cost-effective sustainable biomanufacturing systems are needed to enable the continued availability of products at low cost such as biopharmaceutical, nutraceutical, feed additive, bulk chemical and fuel. High-risk, high-reward research is necessary to achieve innovations for new biomanufacturing technologies. However, company fiduciary responsibilities often limit the levels of risk in research that companies can undertake on their own, with acceptable risk levels varying by different sectors. As a result, a critical need to support biomanufacturing is increasingly evident. Advanced DNA technologies, including next-generation DNA sequencing and low-cost DNA synthesis, provide massive genetic resources and fast access to genes, providing near-infinite possibilities for designing and creating novel biocatalysts (Bornscheuer et al., 2012). However, it is still in the early stage to predict the biocatalytic performance of synthetic biocatalysts (Mak et al., 2015). Therefore, a more powerful synthetic biology tool kit for faster building of designer biocatalysts is needed to provide the infrastructure necessary for translating laboratory prototypes into commercial products. Our laboratory is interested in the continuous expanding and improving the tool kit and uses it as a platform to develop biocatalysts together with industrial partners. The particular interests are biocatalysts for conversion of renewable resources to chemicals and biofuels with conventional chassis microorganisms, such as Escherichia coli, Corynebacterium glutamicum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae as well as non-conventional microbial hosts such as clostridia and Yarrowia lipolytica.