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Rochester undergraduates developed a 3D-printing system to replicate chemicals found in plants, including those endangered by climate change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":912,"featured_media":591672,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[38642,486,18722,19242,16072,93,20932],"class_list":["post-591522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sci-tech","tag-anne-s-meyer","tag-awards","tag-department-of-biology","tag-global-engagement","tag-school-of-arts-and-sciences","tag-sustainability","tag-undergraduate-research"],"acf":{"external":"","hide_featured_image":false,"related":"show_related","style":[541932,504322,549662],"content_modules":[{"acf_fc_layout":"media_text_new","anchor":"","class":"pt-15","overline":"Flower-powered","title":"
Biomanufacturing a sustainable future<\/strong><\/h3>","content":"Blending nature with cutting-edge technology, the URochester team proves that undergraduates can lead groundbreaking projects in record time.","cta":"","bg":"#ffc70a","type":"embed","image":"","embed":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5PMl5pLufHs","video":"","layout":"right","animation":"animation-false"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","anchor":"","css_class":"","title":"","content":"In November, the team entered their research in the 2023\u00a0International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM)\u00a0competition<\/a>, an event in which student-led teams from around the globe compete to solve real-world problems using synthetic biology. Synthetic biology takes advantage of engineering to build biological parts inspired by nature. The Rochester team\u2019s project was nominated for the Best Biomanufacturing Project and Best Hardware and was awarded a gold medal, making them the third most recognized team in the United States. The team competed against 402 teams from six continents.\r\n\r\n\u201cTeam RoSynth\u2019s technology has huge potential to push forward the entire field of synthetic biology, allowing for straightforward, accessible production of new engineered living materials,\u201d says Anne S. Meyer<\/a>, an associate professor in the Department of Biology<\/a> and one of the advisors for Rochester\u2019s iGEM team.\r\nAn \u2018ingenious\u2019 method of bioprinting hydrogels <\/strong><\/h3>\r\nTeam RoSynth designed their 3D bioprinter to print hydrogels\u2014jelly-like substances made of water and polymers that can hold and release biological molecules. The Rochester team\u2019s system is unique because it prints genetically engineered bacteria and genetically engineered yeast in adjacent hydrogels, which are then submerged in a liquid nutrient broth. The complex work of making the final product chemical is divided among the two different types of microbes, making the process go more easily and quickly.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_591722\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"2000\"]![\"Student](\"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/inline-2023-08-17_iGEM_students_Meyer_lab_0505.jpg\")
THE HEAT IS ON:<\/strong> iGEM team member Ines Drissi Qeytoni '26 sterilizes an inoculation loop under flame while preparing bacteria overnight cultures in Hutchison Hall. (University of Rochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nA key innovation lies in the fact that the yeast and the bacteria need to grow separately to prevent one microbe from growing faster and causing the slower-growing microbe to die off; however, the two microbes also need to be able to exchange molecules to build up the final product chemical.\r\n\u201c<\/span>A typical bioprinter will cost over $10,000, but we engineered one under $500.\u201d \u2014Allie Tay \u201925<\/div>\r\n\u201cTo solve this tricky problem, the students devised an ingenious solution,\u201d Meyer says. \u201cThe yeast and the bacteria were 3D bioprinted in hydrogels, so the microbes were kept separate from each other, but the molecules they produced could exchange freely.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe approach results in the synthetic creation of plant-based chemicals, without the need for actual plants.\r\n\r\nAs a test case, the team biochemically synthesized rosmarinic acid (RA). RA is typically extracted from plants such as rosemary, sage, and fern. It is used as a flavoring and in cosmetics and has also been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. While rosmarinic acid is not itself endangered, it was an ideal extract to test.\r\n\r\n\u201cRosmarinic acid is a valued plant compound but was not toxic or hazardous to the students to produce,\u201d Meyer says. \u201cPlus, the pathway to make it is pretty complex, consisting of a large number of enzymes that act sequentially.\u201d\r\nA response to climate change<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThe team, which is completely student led with several faculty members on hand as advisors, began brainstorming project ideas at the beginning of 2023. Inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and Rochester\u2019s location near agricultural hubs in New York, the team prioritized addressing climate impacts on supplies of plant-based chemicals.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_591702\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"2000\"]![\"Student](\"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/inline-2023-08-17_iGEM_students_Meyer_lab_0148.jpg\")
FINE (BIO)PRINT:<\/strong> Wenqi (Olivia) Di \u201925, a member of Team RoSynth, holds a 3D-bioprinted bacteria sample. \u201cTeam RoSynth\u2019s technology has huge potential to push forward the entire field of synthetic biology,\u201d says biology professor Anne S. Meyer, who advised Rochester\u2019s iGEM team. (University of Rochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n\u201cSince we are located in Rochester, which is adjacent to the Finger Lakes region, a major agricultural area in New York State, we thought about how the impact of climate change will lead to decreasing crop yields over the coming years and impact local supplies of plants and plant-based compounds,\u201d says Catherine Xie, \u201925, a molecular genetics major.\r\n\r\nAdds Medha Pan \u201924, also a molecular genetics major: \u201cOur iGEM team was focusing on the climate crisis and agricultural shortages that we have been facing, especially in the COVID era. We have seen firsthand the importance of having accessible and reliable medication.\u201d\r\n
THE HEAT IS ON:<\/strong> iGEM team member Ines Drissi Qeytoni '26 sterilizes an inoculation loop under flame while preparing bacteria overnight cultures in Hutchison Hall. (University of Rochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nA key innovation lies in the fact that the yeast and the bacteria need to grow separately to prevent one microbe from growing faster and causing the slower-growing microbe to die off; however, the two microbes also need to be able to exchange molecules to build up the final product chemical.\r\n\u201c<\/span>A typical bioprinter will cost over $10,000, but we engineered one under $500.\u201d \u2014Allie Tay \u201925<\/div>\r\n\u201cTo solve this tricky problem, the students devised an ingenious solution,\u201d Meyer says. \u201cThe yeast and the bacteria were 3D bioprinted in hydrogels, so the microbes were kept separate from each other, but the molecules they produced could exchange freely.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe approach results in the synthetic creation of plant-based chemicals, without the need for actual plants.\r\n\r\nAs a test case, the team biochemically synthesized rosmarinic acid (RA). RA is typically extracted from plants such as rosemary, sage, and fern. It is used as a flavoring and in cosmetics and has also been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. While rosmarinic acid is not itself endangered, it was an ideal extract to test.\r\n\r\n\u201cRosmarinic acid is a valued plant compound but was not toxic or hazardous to the students to produce,\u201d Meyer says. \u201cPlus, the pathway to make it is pretty complex, consisting of a large number of enzymes that act sequentially.\u201d\r\nA response to climate change<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThe team, which is completely student led with several faculty members on hand as advisors, began brainstorming project ideas at the beginning of 2023. Inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and Rochester\u2019s location near agricultural hubs in New York, the team prioritized addressing climate impacts on supplies of plant-based chemicals.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_591702\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"2000\"]
![\"Alginate](\"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/inline-3d-bioprinting-2023-08-17_iGEM_students_Meyer_lab_0220.jpg\")
NATURE, NURTURED WITH TECH:<\/strong> The bioprinted bacteria created by Rochester undergraduates contains green fluorescent proteins that glow under ultraviolet light. (University of Rochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThe project is such that other scientists can change the genes and the engineered pathways in the bacteria and yeast to produce virtually any plant-based chemical. The design of the bioprinter itself is available on