Café Synthetique

Café Synthetique is the monthly meetup for the Cambridge synthetic and engineering biology community with informal talks, discussion and pub snacks. Speakers range from students and group leaders to industry professionals and entrepreneurs.

On Monday 3 March, 6pm-8pm we have 2 talks featuring

"Tailoring plants as photosynthetic production chassis for small molecules"

Connor Tansley, Dept. Plant Sciences

Plants have been central to traditional medicine for millennia, yet the precise metabolites responsible for their therapeutic properties often remain unidentified. Moreover, the low natural abundance and structural complexity of bioactive molecules can hinder their accessibility and chemical synthesis. Here, we investigate the widely reported anti-inflammatory properties of Calendula officinalis (pot marigold), an ancient medicinal herb. We confirm C16-hydroxylated triterpenoids as key contributors to the anti-inflammatory activity of C. officinalis floral extracts. By reconstructing the complete biosynthetic pathway in the heterologous plant chassis Nicotiana benthamiana, we provide a platform for production of the anti-inflammatory components. Our work highlights how integrated studies of bioactivity and biosynthesis can unlock the therapeutic potential of medicinal plants (Golubova et al., 2025).    Further to this goal of sustainable plant based production of biologically active molecules, we also look at how to optimise the N. benthamiana chassis (Golubova et al., 2024). Previously, our lab observed that the relative positions of genes within synthetic constructs affects both transient and transgenic expression as well as product yields (Kallam et al., 2023). Further, genome editing techniques can be used to remove molecules and enzymes that interfere with production and purification techniques (Dudley et al., 2022; Vollheyde et al., 2023). We investigate how the expression of synthetic genes are affected by their neighbours, and how knowledge of enzyme kinetics and rate limiting steps can be used to improve construct design. We also describe the production of genome-edited plants with multiplexed mutations tailored for triterpene production.

"Techniques in efficient Agrobacterium-mediated recombinant protein production and N-glycan engineering in Nicotiana benthamiana"

Aaron Macauyag, Dept of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology

Abstract:  Recombinant protein production in plants, or plant molecular farming, offers several advantages over conventional protein production platforms, such as low-cost biomass production, proper folding of eukaryotic proteins, and avoidance of animal pathogen contamination during production. However, there are some limitations, such as low recombinant protein yield and difficulties in downstream processing. Furthermore, the expression of plant-type glycosylation in plant-produced proteins makes them less than ideal for the production of therapeutic proteins.   In this study, we examine ways to combat these challenges in Nicotiana benthamiana, including protein engineering, optimizing secreted production, utilizing hydroponic systems, and N-glycan engineering. We compared the production levels of human basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) with the protein-engineered acid-stable version (ASbFGF) in leaves, suspension cultures, and plant cell packs. Our lab also explored N-glycan engineering using Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression of murine β1,4-galactosyltransferase (β1,4-GALT) to modify plant N-glycans with β1,4-linked Gal residue(s), and Arabidopsis thaliana β1,3-galactosyltransferase (β1,3-GALT) to improve galactosylation (Nguyen et al., 2023). The co-expression of IgG with each of these GALTs successfully resulted in the modification of N-glycan structures on the plant-produced IgG.

It would be great to see the community coming together again with free aromi food available! Drinks available to purchase at the bar. We look forward to seeing you at the Panton Arms, Cambridge.

Places are limited to 40. Please sign up here with full name and affiliation.

For questions or queries please contact Vicky Reid at vr314@cam.ac.uk