Applications—Influence of Biology on Engineering

Examples are presented showing the way in which biological systems produce a range of functions which can be implemented in engineering, such as feedback-control of stiffness （muscles and nervous system）, the design of fault-free structures （trees） and damage-tolerant materials （wood） and high performance insulation （penguin feathers） and shock absorbers （hedgehog spines）.

Scoping biology-inspired chemical engineering

Biology is a rich source of great ideas that can inspire us to find successful ways to solve the challenging problems in engineering practices including those in the chemical industry. Bio-inspired chemical engineering(Bio Ch E)may be recognized as a significant branch of chemical engineering. It may consist of, but not limited to, the following three aspects: 1) Chemical engineering principles and unit operations in biological systems; 2) Process engineering principles for producing existing or developing new chemical products through living ‘devices';and 3) Chemical engineering processes and equipment that are designed and constructed through mimicking(does not have to reproduce one hundred percent) the biological systems including their physical–chemical and mechanical structures to deliver uniquely beneficial performances. This may also include the bio-inspired sensors for process monitoring. In this paper, the above aspects are defined and discussed which establishes the scope of BioChE.

Applications-Some Influences of Engineering Ideas on Biology Being the fifth in a series of essays on the materials of nature

Ideas from engineering have helped the understanding of biological organisms for thousands of years. However, the mechanical aspects of biological materials and structures can, if properly interpreted and analysed, lead to a deeper understanding of the biology of organisms. Such an approach, although always current in some form, is nevertheless subject to the vagaries of fashion and the availability of analytical techniques. At present we are in a period of upturn. Areas of interest are deployable structures （applications in aerospace）, palaeontology （how little do we need to know in order to create a credible biosphere） and food science （we need a rational approach to the mechanics of food）.

Systematic bio‑fabrication of aptamers and their applications in engineering biology

Aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules that have high affinity and selectivity to bind to specific targets.Compared to antibodies,aptamers are easy to in vitro synthesize with low cost,and exhibit excellent thermal stability and programmability.With these features,aptamers have been widely used in biology and medicine-related fields.In the meantime,a variety of systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment(SELEX)technologies have been developed to screen aptamers for various targets.According to the characteristics of targets,customizing appropriate SELEX technology and post-SELEX optimization helps to obtain ideal aptamers with high affinity and specificity.In this review,we first summarize the latest research on the systematic bio-fabrication of aptamers,including various SELEX technologies,post-SELEX optimization,and aptamer modification technology.These procedures not only help to gain the aptamer sequences but also provide insights into the relationship between structure and function of the aptamers.The latter provides a new perspective for the systems bio-fabrication of aptamers.Furthermore,on this basis,we review the applications of aptamers,particularly in the fields of engineering biology,including industrial biotechnology,medical and health engineering,and environmental and food safety monitoring.And the encountered challenges and prospects are discussed,providing an outlook for the future development of aptamers.

A review of biomimetic research for erosion wear resistance

One of the reasons behind failed engineering surfaces and mechanical components is particle erosion wear;thus,to mitigate its happening,biomimetic engineering is the current state-of-the-art being applied.Hence,this paper reviews the literature and the development trends on erosive wear resistance that employ biomimetic methods as well as analyze the bio-inspired surface,the bio-inspired structure,the bio-based materials,the associated challenges,and the future trends.Furthermore,the feasibility of the multi-biological and perspective on the coupling biomimetic method for anti-erosion wear are studied.It is concluded that the design of anti-erosion materials or structures by the bio-inspired methods is of great significance in the development of engineering applications.

Biosynthesis of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid from L-tyrosine using recombinant Escherichia coli cells expressing membrane bound L-amino acid deaminase

4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid （4-HPPA）, a kind of α-keto acid, is an intermediate in the metabolism of tyrosine and has a wide range of application in food, pharmaceutical and chemical industry. Using amino acids as raw material to prod uce the corresponding α-keto acid is thought to be both economic and efficient. Among the enzymes that convert amino acid to α-keto acid, membrane bound L-amino acid deaminase （mL-AAD）, which is anchored to the outer side of the cytomembrane, becomes an ideal enzyme to prepare α-keto acid since there is no cofactors needed and H2O2 production during the reaction. In this study, the mL-AAD from Proteus vulgaris was used to prepare whole-cell catalysts to produce 4-HPPA from L-tyrosine. The secretory efficiency of mL-AAD conducted by its own twin-arginine signal peptide （twin-arginine translocation pathway, Tat） and integrated pelB （the general secretory pathway, Sec）-Tat signal peptide was determined and compared firstly, using two pET systems （pET28a and pET20b）. It was found that the Tat pathway （pET28a-mlaad） resulted in higher cell-associated mL-AAD activity and cell biomass, and was more beneficial to prepare biocatalyst. In addition, expression hosts BI21 （DE3） and 0.05 mmol. L- 1 IPTG were found to be suitable for mL-AAD expression. The reaction conditions for mL-AAD were optimized and 72.72 mmol,L 1 4-HPPA was obtained from 100 mmol.L 1 tyrosine in 10 h under the optimized conditions. This bioprocess, which is more eco-friendly and economical than the traditional chemical synthesis ways, has great potential for industrial application.

Synthetic biology in the UK-An outline of plans and progress

Synthetic biology is capable of delivering new solutions to key challenges spanning the bioeconomy,both nationally and internationally.Recognising this significant potential and the associated need to facilitate its translation and commercialisation the UK government commissioned the production of a national Synthetic Biology Roadmap in 2011,and subsequently provided crucial support to assist its implementation.Critical infrastructural investments have been made,and important strides made towards the development of an effectively connected community of practitioners and interest groups.A number of Synthetic Biology Research Centres,DNA Synthesis Foundries,a Centre for Doctoral Training,and an Innovation Knowledge Centre have been established,creating a nationally distributed and integrated network of complementary facilities and expertise.The UK Synthetic Biology Leadership Council published a UK Synthetic Biology Strategic Plan in 2016,increasing focus on the processes of translation and commercialisation.Over 50 start-ups,SMEs and larger companies are actively engaged in synthetic biology in the UK,and inward investments are starting to flow.Together these initiatives provide an important foundation for stimulating innovation,actively contributing to international research and development partnerships,and helping deliver useful benefits from synthetic biology in response to local and global needs and challenges.