Designer microbes for biosynthesis

Abstract

Microbes have long been adapted for the biosynthetic production of useful compounds. There is increasing demand for the rapid and cheap microbial production of diverse molecules in an industrial setting. Microbes can now be designed and engineered for a particular biosynthetic purpose, thanks to recent developments in genome sequencing, metabolic engineering, and synthetic biology. Advanced tools exist for the genetic manipulation of microbes to create novel metabolic circuits, making new products accessible. Metabolic processes can be optimized to increase yield and balance pathway flux. Progress is being made towards the design and creation of fully synthetic microbes for biosynthetic purposes. Together, these emerging technologies will facilitate the production of designer microbes for biosynthesis.