Chantal Treinen, Christina Peternell, Philipp Noll, Olivia Magosch, Rudolf Hausmann, Marius Henkel
{"title":"Molecular process control for industrial biotechnology.","authors":"Chantal Treinen, Christina Peternell, Philipp Noll, Olivia Magosch, Rudolf Hausmann, Marius Henkel","doi":"10.1016/j.tibtech.2025.04.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2025.04.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The development of sustainable and economically competitive biotechnological processes is a central challenge of modern industrial biotechnology. Conventional strategies such as macroscopic and molecular bioprocess design are often insufficient to exploit their full potential. To circumvent this, molecular process control provides the missing link to further consolidate various optimization strategies to achieve multilayered process design. This review highlights the molecular mechanisms that can be exploited for molecular process control. These can either be endogenous or specifically implemented into the organism, and comprise regulatory mechanisms at the transcriptional, translational, and system levels. In addition to serving as a design tool to enhance existing bioprocesses, molecular process control is the gateway to biotechnological advances that will extend the boundaries of future process design.</p>","PeriodicalId":23324,"journal":{"name":"Trends in biotechnology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144050232","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Intelligent biomanufacturing of water-soluble vitamins.","authors":"Fuqiang Song, Heng Zhang, Zhijie Qin, Jingwen Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.tibtech.2025.04.007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2025.04.007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Given the crucial role of water-soluble vitamins in the human body and the rising demand for natural sources, their biosynthesis has gained the attention of researchers. This review offers a comprehensive look at recent progress in water-soluble vitamin biosynthesis, emphasizing synthetic biotechnology for green biomanufacturing. Specifically, it encompasses the optimization of biological components, pathways, and systems, as well as energy metabolism regulation, stress-tolerance enhancement, high-throughput screening, and the upscaling of production processes. It also envisages intelligent biomanufacturing platforms, highlighting the role of systems biology and artificial intelligence (AI), and proposes future research directions, such as integrating AI-driven metabolic models, enzyme engineering, and cell-free systems, to address limitations in the efficiency, toxicity, and scalability of water-soluble vitamin production.</p>","PeriodicalId":23324,"journal":{"name":"Trends in biotechnology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144046849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Samapti Kundu, Simone Potenti, Zachary A Quinlan, Helena Willard, Justin Chen, Timothy Noritake, Natalie Levy, Zahra Karimi, Hendrikje Jorissen, Joshua R Hancock, Crawford Drury, Linda Wegley Kelly, Luisa De Cola, Shaochen Chen, Daniel Wangpraseurt
{"title":"Biomimetic chemical microhabitats enhance coral settlement.","authors":"Samapti Kundu, Simone Potenti, Zachary A Quinlan, Helena Willard, Justin Chen, Timothy Noritake, Natalie Levy, Zahra Karimi, Hendrikje Jorissen, Joshua R Hancock, Crawford Drury, Linda Wegley Kelly, Luisa De Cola, Shaochen Chen, Daniel Wangpraseurt","doi":"10.1016/j.tibtech.2025.03.019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2025.03.019","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Anthropogenic stressors pose substantial threats to the existence of coral reefs. Achieving successful coral recruitment stands as a bottleneck in reef restoration and hybrid reef engineering efforts. Here, we enhance coral settlement through the development of biomimetic microhabitats that replicate the chemical landscape of healthy reefs. We engineered a soft biomaterial, SNAP-X, comprising silica nanoparticles (NPs), biopolymers, and algal exometabolites, to enrich reef microhabitats with bioactive molecules from crustose coralline algae (CCA). Coral settlement was enhanced over 20-fold using SNAP-X-coated substrates compared with uncoated controls. SNAP-X is designed to release chemical signals slowly (>1 month) under natural seawater conditions, and can be rapidly applied to natural reef substrates via photopolymerization, facilitating the light-assisted 3D printing of microengineered habitats. We anticipate that these biomimetic chemical microhabitats will be widely used to augment coral settlement on degraded reefs and to support ecosystem processes on hybrid reefs.</p>","PeriodicalId":23324,"journal":{"name":"Trends in biotechnology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144080645","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in biotechnologyPub Date : 2025-05-01Epub Date: 2024-09-27DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.09.009
Fei Yu, Yongjin J Zhou
{"title":"Sustainable production of porphyrins through synthetic biology.","authors":"Fei Yu, Yongjin J Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.09.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.09.009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Porphyrin compounds are versatile heterocyclic molecules with diverse applications. However, their high-level production is limited by strict biosynthetic regulation and low catalytic efficiency of pathway enzymes. This forum article focuses on recent breakthroughs in porphyrin biosynthesis across various species, aiming to promote the sustainable production of porphyrins through synthetic biology.</p>","PeriodicalId":23324,"journal":{"name":"Trends in biotechnology","volume":" ","pages":"996-999"},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142354604","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Engineered, environmentally friendly leather-like bio-based materials.","authors":"Xinhua Liu, Xiaoyu Zhang, Xuechuan Wang, Ouyang Yue, Huie Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.11.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.11.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Leather is important to the global manufacturing industry, contributing to both the economy and society. However, because of ecological and ethical considerations, alternative bio-based materials to natural leather are now being investigated. Advancements in biotechnology and bio-based materials, combined with flourishing biomanufacturing, have driven product development. In recent years, animal-free, biotechnology-based leather-like material has seen significant growth. Recent progress in leather-like bio-based materials development has been achieved using proteins, mycelium, cellulose, and other sustainable natural materials. This review provides a comprehensive overview of these bio-based materials, addressing their challenges, practical implications, and potential to play a growing role in the emerging field of animal-free alternative. The development of 'future leather' has significant economic and environmental potential.</p>","PeriodicalId":23324,"journal":{"name":"Trends in biotechnology","volume":" ","pages":"1104-1115"},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142772628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in biotechnologyPub Date : 2025-05-01Epub Date: 2024-11-09DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.10.002
Eylul Gulsen Yilmaz, Nedim Hacıosmanoğlu, Sebastian Bruno Ulrich Jordi, Bahtiyar Yilmaz, Fatih Inci
{"title":"Revolutionizing IBD research with on-chip models of disease modeling and drug screening.","authors":"Eylul Gulsen Yilmaz, Nedim Hacıosmanoğlu, Sebastian Bruno Ulrich Jordi, Bahtiyar Yilmaz, Fatih Inci","doi":"10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.10.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.10.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprises chronic inflammatory conditions with complex mechanisms and diverse manifestations, posing significant clinical challenges. Traditional animal models and ethical concerns in human studies necessitate innovative approaches. This review provides an overview of human intestinal architecture in health and inflammation, emphasizing the role of microfluidics and on-chip technologies in IBD research. These technologies allow precise manipulation of cellular and microbial interactions in a physiologically relevant context, simulating the intestinal ecosystem microscopically. By integrating cellular components and replicating 3D tissue architecture, they offer promising models for studying host-microbe interactions, wound healing, and therapeutic approaches. Continuous refinement of these technologies promises to advance IBD understanding and therapy development, inspiring further innovation and cross-disciplinary collaboration.</p>","PeriodicalId":23324,"journal":{"name":"Trends in biotechnology","volume":" ","pages":"1062-1078"},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142629164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in biotechnologyPub Date : 2025-05-01Epub Date: 2025-04-03DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2025.03.014
Miriam Amiram
{"title":"Genomically recoded organisms: redefining and safeguarding biological systems.","authors":"Miriam Amiram","doi":"10.1016/j.tibtech.2025.03.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tibtech.2025.03.014","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In a recent report, Grome et al. describe a genomically recoded Escherichia coli strain with a 62-codon genome and a single stop codon. This and other genomically recoded organisms (GROs), engineered with modified genetic vocabularies, enable the creation of novel proteins and biomaterials, while ensuring the safety and viability of GRO-based biomanufacturing.</p>","PeriodicalId":23324,"journal":{"name":"Trends in biotechnology","volume":" ","pages":"993-995"},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143789237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in biotechnologyPub Date : 2025-05-01Epub Date: 2025-03-06DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2025.02.002
Alessandra Maria Bossi, Sofia Casella, Chiara Stranieri, Alice Marinangeli, Alessio Bucciarelli, Anna Maria Fratta Pasini, Devid Maniglio
{"title":"Protein-based molecular imprinting: gelatin nanotraps for interleukin-6 sequestration in inflammation cell models.","authors":"Alessandra Maria Bossi, Sofia Casella, Chiara Stranieri, Alice Marinangeli, Alessio Bucciarelli, Anna Maria Fratta Pasini, Devid Maniglio","doi":"10.1016/j.tibtech.2025.02.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tibtech.2025.02.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Protein-derived biomaterials are currently underrated as building blocks in molecular imprinting, even though they offer several benefits, such as biocompatibility and safe biodegradability. Gelatin is a biopolymer that can be easily modified with pendant double bonds for polymerization, making it suitable for tissue engineering and biofabrication. In this study, we used gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) as a building block combined with molecular imprinting technology to create an original class of bioinspired nanotraps specifically capable of sequestering the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6). The stability in solution, biocompatibility, and biodegradability of the nanotraps were assessed. The nanotraps were selective and specific for IL-6, showing nanomolar affinity and, when tested in vitro on an inflammation cell model, sequestered IL-6 with a dose-response relationship. Overall, our study shows that protein chemistry-driven molecular imprinting could become more widely used to devise biocompatible functional nanomaterials.</p>","PeriodicalId":23324,"journal":{"name":"Trends in biotechnology","volume":" ","pages":"1215-1233"},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143587187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Welfare impacts of China's regulatory change toward genome-edited crops.","authors":"Yan Jin, Zuzana Smeets Kristkova, Justus Wesseler","doi":"10.1016/j.tibtech.2025.04.010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2025.04.010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>What are the welfare impacts and implications of China's newly issued safety evaluation guidelines toward genome-edited (GE) crops, and how do they compare with those in other countries? The answers are vital for enhancing food security and sustainability in China and stimulating R&D investment in GE crops.</p>","PeriodicalId":23324,"journal":{"name":"Trends in biotechnology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144029780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in biotechnologyPub Date : 2025-05-01Epub Date: 2024-12-07DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.11.012
Jie Ming, Shou-Qing Ni, Ziyu Guo, Zhi-Bin Wang, Liangke Xie
{"title":"Photocatalytic material-microorganism hybrid systems in water decontamination.","authors":"Jie Ming, Shou-Qing Ni, Ziyu Guo, Zhi-Bin Wang, Liangke Xie","doi":"10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.11.012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.11.012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biological processes are widely used technologies for water decontamination, but they are often limited by insufficient bioavailable carbon sources or biorecalcitrant contaminants. The recently developed photocatalytic material-microorganism hybrid (PMH) system combines the light-harvesting capacities of photocatalytic materials with specific enzymatic activities of whole cells, efficiently achieving solar-to-chemical conversion. By integrating the benefits of both photocatalysis and biological processes, the PMH system shows great potential for water decontamination. While recent reviews have focused primarily on its application in green energy development, this review emphasizes the latest advancements in PMH systems for water decontamination, covering various applications, key considerations, and synergistic mechanisms. This review aims to provide a fundamental understanding of the PMH system and explore its broader potential in environmental remediation.</p>","PeriodicalId":23324,"journal":{"name":"Trends in biotechnology","volume":" ","pages":"1031-1047"},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142792592","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}