The use of Biocatalysis and Synthetic Biology to create real-world solutions for some of the most pressing global issues : Global Health, Biosecurity, Energy security, Sustainable chemical processes.
Areas of expertise
- Enzymes
- Biocatalysis And Enzyme Technology
- Bioprocessing, Bioproduction And Bioproducts
- Medical Biotechnology Diagnostics (Incl. Biosensors)
- Agricultural Biotechnology Diagnostics (Incl. Biosensors)
- Environmental Biotechnology Diagnostics (Incl. Biosensors)
- Bioremediation
Researcher's projects
Biocatalysis for sustainable chemical processes
We are employing Synthetic Biology to develop new Biocatalysis platforms that will allow application of multi-enzymatic cascades as replacements for unsustainable fossil-based processes. This includes engineering of new and improved enzyme activities using renewable substrates (e.g. CO2, ammonia), optimisation of cofactor-dependent biotransformations, and development of new tools for control of multi-enzymatic reactions in vitro (cell-free metabolic engineering) and in whole-cell. Bioproducts targeted range from platform chemicalsand fuels to green fertilisers to fine chemicals and biologics (therapeutics).
"Just-add-water" nucleic acid amplification
The use of Synthetic Biology to assemble biological components into customised useful devices is now a reality. We are employing these principles for the delivery of bio-devices that carry out pathogen nucleic acid amplification and formulating these into stable "just-add-water" formats to produce novel user-friendly, low-cost diagnostic kits that may be applied within primary laboratory settings and at point-of-care. We aim to deliver real-world solutions that may be utilised in low-tech settings in the developing world and remote Australia.
DNA biosensors
DNA-based biotechnologies are rapidly forming a new landscape in the world of technology and innovation. However accurate identification of a specific DNA-sequence (e.g. as produced through nucleic acid amplification) still requires high-end equipment and complex protocols. Together with colleagues at the CSIRO (Health & Biosecurity) we are harnessing the power of biological recognition for the production of new biosensors that are able to rapidly identify specific ds-DNA sequences. These allow accurate detection/quantitation of a target DNA sequence and are amenable to application with low-cost analytical technologies in primary laboratories and at point-of-care.
Projects and Grants
Related websites