[P002] Poster

1:00 PM - 1:50 PM JST(4:00 AM - 4:50 AM UTC)

[P01-004] Safeguarding Health Through Synthetic Biology: From Waste Plastic Bio-Recycling to Targeted Tumor Therapy Using Engineered Microbes

○Zhuobin Liang¹, Yujia Zhang^1,3, Mengdi Xu^1,4, Xuemei Yang², Yanbing Lin³, Jufang Wang⁴, Wenjun Mao⁵, Hui Gao¹ (1. Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518132 (China), 2. School of Science, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055 (China), 3. College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100 (China), 4. School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006 (China), 5. Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Wuxi People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214023 (China))

Keywords:

Synthetic Biology,Microbial Chassis,Bio-Recycling,Living Therapeutics,Targeted Tumor Therapy

Human health currently faces dual challenges from environmental pollution and malignant diseases. Synthetic biology offers a unified technological framework to address these issues through the modular programming of microbial chassis. This presentation highlights our team’s latest progress in leveraging chassis engineering for two distinct yet technologically connected applications: green pharmaceutical manufacturing and innovative living therapeutics. First, to combat the health hazards of plastic waste, we developed the SPEED platform. By utilizing modular protein scaffolds—a cornerstone of synthetic biology—we engineered a multi-enzyme cascade that depolymerizes PET plastics and seamlessly upcycles the monomers into high-value raw materials for pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Second, sharing the same underlying logic of programmable biology, we developed the CAT-BLAST bacterial platform for precision oncology. This engineered living therapeutic is designed to precisely target cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and intelligently secrete the ClyA cytotoxin to disrupt the tumor microenvironment barrier. Across multiple murine models, this approach successfully inhibited tumor growth. From molecular-level environmental remediation to precision medicine within the body, our work demonstrates how programmable microbial chassis provide comprehensive, innovative solutions for global human health.