Present research at IBB is done mainly along two lines:

1. Methodology und fundamental studies in systems and synthetic biology to understand and design biomolecular and cellular processes;
2. Enabling technologies and tools such as automated global screening and optimization of biomolecules and cells, new bioreactors for electrofermentation and CO₂ bioconversion.

They are integrated for developing new bioproducts or more efficient bioprocesses and biosystems in industrial and medical biotechnologies.

Modelling and Design

Modeling is used as a fundamental tool for understanding and designing biomolecules and cell factories. In particular, a multicsale modeling approach from molecular dynamcis to kinetics of reactions is implemented for the design and evolution of biomolecular sensors, regulatory proteins, enzyme reaction cascades and metabolic pathways. Cells are designed as smart robots for biocomputing and in vivo high-throughput screening.

Experimental: Build and Test

As a key step of the Design-Build-Test cycle, experimental studies range from evaluating designed biomolecules, pathways and microorganisms at molecular level to bioprocess optimization at different scales of bioreactors (up to 300 L) and miniplant for integrated biosynthesis and product purification. Both microbial and mammalian cells and cultivation systems are studied in the context of systems and synthetic biology and process development.

Applications

We develop new bioproduction systems with high yield and productivity for (1) chemicals and fuels such as 1,3-propanediol, caproic acid, n-butanol and biogas; (2) fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals such as amino acids, microbial lipids and recombinant proteins.  Waste materials and C1 (e.g. CO₂) carbons are more and more in focus as substrates. We collaborate with industrial partners in different ways, such as contract research and development, consulting and feasibility study.

List of projects

This page lists all our current projects with links to individual descriptive reports and/or results summaries (PDF).

Please also refer to the general project overview site.

Attention: all information presented here is protected by copyright.

Biomolecular Engineering & Synthetic Biology

• BMBF: Multizym 2020+: Multiskalige Modellierung und Modifikation von Multienzymkomplexen als Basistechnologie für zellfreie Reaktionskaskaden
  • Project description, Abstract
  • BMBF strategy process: Next generation of biotechnological processes
    (Biotechnologie 2020+)
• TUHH/DAAD: Production of L-tryptophan and derivatives
  • Project description; 5-Hydroxytryptophan and serotonin production in engineered E. coli strains
  • Rational metabolic design of a platform E. coli strain for producing L-tryptophan
    and various derivatives
• TUHH: Rational design of riboswitch-based biosensors with expanded response range
  • Poster
  • Engineering of riboswitch for metabolic flux control and industrial strain development
• TUHH: Reengineering substrate specificity of E. coli glutamate dehydrogenase using a position-based prediction method
  • Poster
• TUHH: Creation of novel allosteric regulation of proteins for synthetic biology based on a new concept of thermodynamic model
  • Poster
• TUHH: An Ultrasensitive Multiple I/O System for Target Identification, Evaluation and Evolution of Molecular Designs in Systems Metabolic Engineering
  • Poster, Abstract
• DFG/SPE: Multiskalige modellgestützte Untersuchungen der Formation von katalytisch aktiven Clustern und Agglomeraten großer Multienzymkomplexe

Systems Biology and Metabolic Engineering

• BMBF: e:biofilm: Fighting biofilms of Streptococci by a novel biofilm inhibitor: from bench to dental products
  • Project Description, Abstract
• BMBF: New bioprocess for microbial oil from crude glycerol and cellulosic sugars (BIO4OIL)
  • Project Description
  • Abstract (dt/eng)
  • Bomareddy et al.: Metabolic network analysis and experimental study of lipid
    production in Rhodosporidium toruloides grown on single and mixed substrates
  • Systems biology approach for determining the physiology of oleaginous yeasts
• TUHH: Systems Biology and Metabolic engineering of Clostridium pasteurianum
  • Abstract
  • Literature List

Microbial Systems

• EU:  Novel BIOrefinery platform methodology for a driven production of CHEMicals from low-grade biomass (BIOCHEM)
  • Project Description
• TUHH: Growth of Clostridium pasteurianum in bio-electrochemical H-cell reactor
  • Abstract
• TUHH: Development of New Methods in Fast Sampling and in Sample Processing for Microbial Metabolomics
  •  Project description

Cell Culture Technology

• DFG: Neue Ansätze zur populationsbasierten kinetischen Untersuchung und Modellierung von Hochzelldichte-Zellkulturen
  
  • Project Description (German) / Projektbeschreibung
  • The cell cycle as a process parameter in mammalian cell culture
  • Novel high throughput and high content analysis applications using Flow Cytometry
  • Preparative Purification and Fractionation of the Secretome of CHO K1 Cells using
    Membrane Adsorbers
• Technologien für Zell- und Gewebekulturen
  • Description and Literature list
• DFG: Charakterisierung der Zellwachstumsaktivität von Gewebezellen in 3D-Scaffolds mit integrierten Sensoren
  • Project Description (German) / Projektbeschreibung

Accomplished projects

Following is a list of previously accomplished projects with links to individual descriptive reports and/or results summaries (PDF).

• BMBF: Komparti - Kompartimentierung als Basistechnologie für neuartige multienzymatische Bioproduktionsverfahren
  • Project Description and Literature
  • BMBF strategy process: Next generation of biotechnological processes
    (Biotechnologie 2020+)
• SynBio: Fundamentals for synthetic biological systems
  • SynBio Homepage, including detailed descriptions and literature
  • Workpackage: Modeling and design of synthetic metabolic pathways
    • Process design and simulation of synthetic bioproduction systems
  • Workpackage: Multistep bioreaction engineering of an enzymatic production process for 1,3-propanediol from glycerol
    • In vitro synthetischer Produktionsprozess für 1,3-Propandiol aus Glyzerin
  • Project Poster
• BMBF: Ganzzell-Biokatalyse von Glycanen mittels Glycosyltransferasen und Cofaktoren
  • (GlycoBiokat)
• DFG: Entwicklung und mikrofluidische Charakterisierung eines dynamisch kultivierten Vollhautmodells
  
  • Project Desciption (German) / Projektbeschreibung
• DFG: Ingenieurtechnische Aspekte zum Tissue Engineering von hyalinem Knorpelgewebe (Fortsetzung)
  • Project Description (German) / Projektbeschreibung
• BMBF: Tools zur Prozessentwicklung für Fermentationen unter ungewöhnlichen Bedingungen (ProTool II - Fortsetzungsprojekt)
• EU FP7: Propanergy - Integrated Bioconversion of Glycerol into Value-added Products at Pilot Plant Scale
  • General introduction
  • Literature List
  • Workpackage: Bioconversion of Industrial Glycerol to 1,3-Propanediol Using a Natural
    Microbial Community
    • Einsatz von Mischkultur in der Fermentation: Produktion von 1,3-Propandiol in
      Repeated Fed-Batch Verfahren
  • Workpackage: Miniplant Technology in 1,3-Propandiol Production
    • Miniplant zur Entwicklung von Gesamtprozesskonzepten: Beispiel der
      Bioproduktion von 1,3-Propandiol aus Rohglycerin
• ZIM: StemTec - Glandular Stem Cells for Therapeutic Applications
• DFG: Optimization of transient gene expression processes by quantitative analysis and
  kinetic modeling
• DFG: Development and Mathematical Modeling of a Bioconversion Process Involving
  Microbial Community
• BMBF: SysCompart: New technologies and methods for analysing and modelling dynamics of eukaryotic metabolism involved in compartmentation
  • Project Description (German) / Projektbeschreibung und Literatur
  • General introduction
  • Workpackage: New technologies and methods for analyzing and modeling dynamics
    of eukaryotic metabolism involved in compartmentation
    • Integration neuer Technologien am Bioreaktor und Separation von
      Mitochondrien für metabolische Untersuchungen an CHO-Zellen
    • Immunoaffinitätsbasierte mikrofluidische Separation von Mitochondrien
      aus Zelllysat
    • Numerical modeling of microfluidic systems and microscale phenomena
    • Entwicklung mikrofluidischer Systeme für die Stoffwechseluntersuchung
      tierischer Zellen
  • Workpackage: Spatiotemporal modelling of selected enzymes and metabolic
    pathways
• BMBF: SysLogics - Systems Biology of Cell Culture for Biologics
  • Project Description (German) / Projektbeschreibung und Literatur
  • General introduction
  • Cell Ensemble Modeling and Analysis of Synchronized Cell Cultures
  • Integrierte „Omics“ Datenanalyse für Systembiologie
  • Synchronization of eukaryotic cells for Systems Biology Research
  • Workpackage: Dynamic modeling of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in
    mammalian cells
• BMBF: BioInSys - Development of Biofilm Inhibitors Using a Systems Biology Approach
  • Project Description (German) / Projektbeschreibung und Literatur
  • StrepReg and StrepCyc Databases of Streptococcus
  • General introduction
  • Workpackage: Sequencing, comparative genomics and data integration
  • Workpackage: Reverse engineering for reconstruction of regulatory network
    from functional genomic data
    • Reverse Engineering strategies for reconstructing biological networks
      from omics data
  • Workpackage: Integrated and dynamic modeling of networks
  • Workpackage: Proteomic and metabolic analyses
    • Proteomik zur Biosystemanalyse und Bioprozessoptimierung
• BMBF/TUHH: Microtechnology and System Integration for Metabolomic Analysis of
  Mammalian Cells
  • Entwicklung mikrofluidischer Systeme für die Stoffwechseluntersuchung
    tierischer Zellen
• TUHH: Process development for production of Acrolein and 3-HPA from biofuel byproducts
  • Prozessentwicklung zur Produktion von Acrolein und 3-Hydroxypropionaldehyd
    aus Nebenprodukten der Biokraftstoffherstellung
• TUHH/Industry: Application of genomic, proteomic and metabolomic strategies on
  Paenibacillus polymyxa for enhanced R,R-2,3-butanediol production
• TUHH: Development of New Methods for Fast Sampling and Sample Processing for Microbial
  Metabolomics
  • Entwicklung neuer Methoden zur schnellen Probennahme und
    Probenprozessierung für Stoffwechseluntersuchungen
• TUHH: Microbial Production of 3-Hydroxypropionaldehyde and 3-Hydroxypropionic Acid
• TUHH/DFG: Technology Development for Applied Research on the Metabolism of
  Host-adapted Bacterial Pathogens
• TUHH: Structural synthetic biology for industrial strain development: the case of
  amino acid production
  • Protein Design: New Approaches and Their Applications in the
    development of Industrial Biocatalysts
• TUHH: Examination of the metabolites in biogas reactor using distillage from an
  industrial bioethanol plant
  • Prozessentwicklung und metabolische Analyse der Schlempe-Vergärung
    zur Biogasbildung