Bo Wang, PhD.
Assistant Professor in Metabolic Engineering, Synthetic Biology, Biomanufacturing, Renewable Energy
What are you Driven to Discover™?
My research goal is to engineer living organisms, especially microorganisms, to become efficient whole-cell biocatalysts for converting renewable raw materials to value-added products. In order to achieve this goal, we have to first understand the “traffic” (metabolism) inside host cells. How fast do the cells “eat” up substrates? Where do they go? Can we reallocate resources within cells? What are the pathway bottlenecks for biosynthesizing a target bioproduct?
Answers to these questions will provide guidance for rational re-design of the cellular metabolic network which can then be realized using synthetic biology approaches. Understanding, and engineering the cellular metabolism are both critical to turning wild-type cells into advanced microbial cell factories for the production of pharmaceuticals, food, chemicals and fuels.
What is the impact of your research in your field?
My research work has been published in scientific journals such as Nature Communications, Metabolic Engineering, Green Chemistry, ACS Synthetic Biology, Analytical Chemistry, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Frontiers in Microbiology. I have also been awarded three US patents, been invited to write a book chapter and give talks at international conferences, and served as a reviewer for book proposals, grant proposals and over 20 scientific journals in the field of biochemical engineering.
How can people see the impact of your research on everyday life?
My research addresses engineering problems in upgrading raw materials and CO2 into a variety of value-added bio-products such as pharmaceuticals, food additives, biodegradable plastics and biofuels, which are critical to human health and the sustainability of human society.
What drew you to your field of study?
From my study as a chemical engineering undergraduate student, I realized that modern chemical engineering calls for more environmentally friendly chemical manufacturing processes that do not rely on fossil fuels. In nature, enzymes have evolved as excellent catalysts that can catalyze sophisticated chemical reactions in an efficient and environmentally friendly fashion. However, enzymes have a finite life, do not replicate themselves, and producing and purifying enzymes from live cells often adds to manufacturing cost. Actually, one living cell is a mix of thousands of enzymes that together catalyze a series of chemical reactions, and importantly, they replicate themselves. Understanding how cells regulate their metabolism and thereby reprogramming their gene networks to achieve efficient bioconversion of raw materials to value-added products is an amazing avenue to pursue!
What is your favorite research/lab tool and why?
Systems biology and genetic engineering are my two favorite research tools. The former allows us to see the nature of life, and the latter enables us to change life and the world.
What do you consider to be your greatest research accomplishment thus far in your career?
My greatest research accomplishment thus far is that I was able to integrate omics, computational modeling and genetic engineering approaches to rationally engineer microorganisms to produce a variety of useful products such as commodity chemicals, plastics, fuels and nutritional compounds, from CO2 and other renewable sources.
What is your favorite part about teaching and mentoring students?
My favorite part of teaching and mentoring students is seeing the students make good progress while enjoying the process.
What do you look forward to most once you settle into your new role in the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering?
I look forward to seeing my classrooms and research lab filled with a bunch of enthusiastic students, scientists and engineers.