Patrick Boyle’s Lecture Questions:
Q1. Assume that all of the molecular biology work you'd like to do could be automated, what sort of new biological questions would you ask, or what new types of products would you make?
I’d like to question - How do entire microbial communities evolve in response to climate change over years or decades? What are all the possible variants of a protein that still retain a given function under extreme conditions?
Product Ideas:
Building a wearable or implantable device that can detect thousands of biomolecules using engineered phages or protein switches. With automation, we could rapidly design and test libraries of binding domains or signal transduction modules.
Engineer yeast or algae to grow high-value compounds (like rare medicinal molecules, or biofuels) at scale with minimal environmental impact.
Q2. If you could make metric tons of any protein, what would you make and what positive impact could you have?
If I had the ability to make metric tons of any protein, I’d go with something both impactful and versatile—like spider silk proteins. Spider silk is biodegradable, incredibly strong, and much more sustainable than many materials we use today. With enough of it, we could create ultra-lightweight textiles, medical sutures, or even biodegradable packaging and armor alternatives. Another exciting option would be to produce large quantities of therapeutic proteins, like broadly neutralizing antibodies for viruses such as HIV or influenza. This could help make advanced treatments far more affordable and accessible, especially in parts of the world that currently struggle to access expensive biologics. Whether for climate resilience, global health, or sustainable manufacturing, having access to proteins at this scale opens up so many opportunities to build a more equitable and eco-friendly future.
Q1. Which genes when transferred into E. coli will induce the production of lycopene and beta-carotene, respectively?
To produce lycopene, we need to introduce genes from the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway—typically from Erwinia herbicola or Pantoea ananatis. These include:
To go a step further and produce beta-carotene, we also need: