Rochester undergraduates developed a 3D-bioprinting system to replicate chemicals found in plants, 包括那些受到气候变化威胁的物种.
想象一个没有植物的世界. 虽然这种极端的情况并没有成为现实, Earth is facing a concerning trend—the rapid depletion of potential plant-derived drugs. 在全球范围内, tens of thousands of flowering plant species play vital roles in medicinal applications, but many of the pharmaceuticals dominating the United States market heavily rely on imported raw plant materials that require very particular climate conditions for optimal growth. The threat to many plant species is intensified by factors such as 气候变化, 侵袭性病虫害, 农业生产难以满足对终端产品的巨大需求.
为了解决这些问题，一个10人的团队 澳门威尼斯人网上赌场 undergraduate students pioneered new technologies to more efficiently replicate useful chemicals found in plants, 包括那些受到地球气候变化威胁的物种. 他们自称为“RoSynth团队”,” the students created an affordable 3D-printing system for optimizing production of in-demand, 植物衍生药物和药品.
11月，该团队进入了2023年的澳门威尼斯人网上赌场 国际基因工程机器(iGEM)竞赛, an event in which student-led teams from around the globe compete to solve real-world problems using synthetic biology. Synthetic biology takes advantage of engineering to build biological parts inspired by nature. The Rochester team’s project was nominated for the Best Biomanufacturing Project and Best Hardware and was awarded a gold medal, 使他们成为美国第三大最受认可的球队. 这支队伍与来自六大洲的402支队伍竞争.
“Team RoSynth’s technology has huge potential to push forward the entire field of synthetic biology, 允许直接, 可获得的新工程生物材料的生产,” 安妮年代. 迈耶他是北京大学的副教授 生物系 也是澳门威尼斯人网上赌场iGEM团队的顾问之一.
一种“巧妙”的生物打印水凝胶方法
Team RoSynth designed their 3D bioprinter to print hydrogels—jelly-like substances made of water and polymers that can hold and release biological molecules. The Rochester team’s system is unique because it prints genetically engineered bacteria and genetically engineered yeast in adjacent hydrogels, 然后将它们浸入液体营养液中. The complex work of making the final product chemical is divided among the two different types of microbes, 使这个过程更容易、更快速.
A key innovation lies in the fact that the yeast and the bacteria need to grow separately to prevent one microbe from growing faster and causing the slower-growing microbe to die off; however, the two microbes also need to be able to exchange molecules to build up the final product chemical.
“To solve this tricky problem, the students devised an ingenious solution,迈耶说. “酵母和细菌在水凝胶中进行了生物3D打印, 所以这些微生物是相互隔离的, 但是它们产生的分子可以自由交换.”
这种方法导致了植物性化学物质的合成, 不需要真正的植物.
作为一个测试案例，该团队用生物化学方法合成了迷迭香酸(RA)。. RA通常是从迷迭香、鼠尾草和蕨类植物中提取的. It is used as a flavoring and in cosmetics and has also been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. 虽然迷迭香酸本身并不濒危，但它是一种理想的测试提取物.
“Rosmarinic acid is a valued plant compound but was not toxic or hazardous to the students to produce,迈耶说. “加, 制造它的途径相当复杂, 由大量按顺序起作用的酶组成的.”
应对气候变化
这个团队, 哪一种完全由学生主导，有几位教职员工作为顾问, 从2023年初开始集思广益. 受COVID-19大流行的启发, 气候变化, 澳门威尼斯人网上赌场靠近纽约的农业中心, the team prioritized addressing climate impacts on supplies of plant-based chemicals.
“因为我们住在澳门威尼斯人网上赌场, 它毗邻五指湖地区, 纽约州的一个主要农业区, we thought about how the impact of 气候变化 will lead to decreasing crop yields over the coming years and impact local supplies of plants and plant-based compounds,Catherine Xie说。, ’25, 分子遗传学专业.
补充Medha Pan ' 24, also 分子遗传学专业: “Our iGEM team was focusing on the climate crisis and agricultural shortages that we have been facing, 特别是在COVID时代. We have seen firsthand the importance of having accessible and reliable medication.”
Examples of specific drugs that might benefit from the methods and technologies developed by Team RoSynth include aspirin, 哪一种是从柳树树皮中提取的, 还有抗癌药物紫杉醇, developed by species of yew trees that have been identified as needing protection.
一个经济实惠的生物打印机
Part of the team’s mission was to a create an affordable bioprinter with an open-source design to empower others to explore synthetically creating plant-based chemicals.
“一个典型的生物打印机将花费超过1万美元，但我们设计了一个不到500美元的,25岁的Allie Tay说, 生物医学工程专业. “We wanted to have a 3D bioprinter that would be accessible for labs to do this proof of concept with whichever molecules they choose.”
The project is such that other scientists can change the genes and the engineered pathways in the bacteria and yeast to produce virtually any plant-based chemical. 生物打印机本身的设计可在 团队的Wiki页面 and includes a guide on how to build and use the printer so others can create and adapt the technology for a variety of uses.
融合自然与尖端科技, the team proved that undergraduates can lead groundbreaking projects in record time.
“像这样的项目通常需要博士或澳门威尼斯人网上赌场生花费数年的时间来开发,Tay说。, “and the fact that we’re undergrads doing this and we were given from February to November—I think that’s a pretty big undertaking.”
