The field of Biological Engineered Living Materials focusses in engineering microbes to secrete proteins and augment biomaterials with novel ‘smart' properties. Native material self-assembly, production ease, and biodegradability makes bacterial cellulose as one of the model scaffold systems in the field. But, lack of genetic tools to engineer protein secretion platforms and the knowledge gap on the native secretion routes in nanocellulose producers have directed researchers to adopt cocultivation and direct enzyme immobilization techniques. This project is conceptualized to use forthright synthetic biology stratagem to develop a robust living material that can incorporate ‘smart' features. Using specific genetic tools, recombinant secretion modules are engineered to functionalize bacterial cellulose. Inferring the data from the study, the functional biomaterial is investigated for plastic depolymerization capacities.

2022

2027