1. Laboratory for Cellular and Metabolic Engineering Engineering biology to produce biomolecules, fuels, and pharmaceuticals Hal Alper Department of Chemical Engineering halper@che.utexas.edu http://www.che.utexas.edu/alper_group/ Spring 2011, Alper Lab Graduate Students

2. Laboratory for Cellular and Metabolic Engineering February 26, 2011 Slide # 2 Hal Alper Contextual Background Metabolic and Cellular Engineering Metabolic and Cellular Engineering Substrate Product Employing metabolic and cellular engineering as an enabling technology to improve cellular performance. Our Approach: Traditional pathway engineering is uniquely merged with protein engineering, novel genetic tools, and novel methodologies.

3. Laboratory for Cellular and Metabolic Engineering February 26, 2011 Slide # 3 Hal Alper Realizing the goal of cellular engineering Limited Substrates (glucose) Limited Substrates (glucose) Limited, mixed Products (acids, alcohols) Limited, mixed Products (acids, alcohols) Native Organisms Engineered Organisms Expanded Substrates Expanded Substrates Novel, diversified Products Novel, diversified Products Lignocellulosic Biomass Chemical Waste Agricultural Byproducts Non-conventional carbon Next-generation biofuels Non-natural molecules Commodity and specialty chemicals Pharmaceuticals Re-wired Cells Higher tolerance Improved throughput

4. Laboratory for Cellular and Metabolic Engineering February 26, 2011 Slide # 4 Hal Alper Model systems and phenotypes Cell Models Microbial Engineering (e.g.: Escherichia coli) Fungal Engineering (e.g.: Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other yeasts) Mammalian Cell Engineering (e.g.: Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells) Production phenotypes Ethanol/alternative biofuels Hydrocarbons Lipids and fatty acids Protein drugs Commodity chemicals Other Phenotypes of Interest Chemical tolerances Disease states Biodegradation capacity Alternative sugar utilization Cell Phenotypes Phototroph Engineering (e.g.: Synechococcus sp.)

5. Laboratory for Cellular and Metabolic Engineering February 26, 2011 Slide # 5 Hal Alper Examples of Ongoing Projects A B C F D E I H Alkanes Commodity Chemicals Therapeutic Proteins

6. Laboratory for Cellular and Metabolic Engineering February 26, 2011 Slide # 6 Hal Alper Current/Ongoing Research Areas Engineering biofuels production –Production of novel hydrocarbons and fatty acids in yeast –Designing methods for improved biomass utilization Developing methods for metabolic pathway engineering –Engineering proteins in pentose utilization pathway Mammalian cellular engineering –Developing stable mammalian gene expression tools

7. Laboratory for Cellular and Metabolic Engineering February 26, 2011 Slide # 7 Hal Alper Laboratory for Cellular and Metabolic Engineering The Alper Laboratory will be offering 2 graduate research assistant positions in Fall 2011. These positions will be in the areas of: Engineering advanced biofuels production. Developing approaches for eliciting complex phenotypes. For more information, contact: Dr. Hal Alper halper@che.utexas.edu http://www.che.utexas.edu/alper_group/