Polymer Incorporation for the Engineering of Symbiosis (PIES)

• Applicant: Dr. Andrea Belluati
• Subject Area: Biomaterials ; Polymeric and Biogenic Materials and Derived Composites ; Polymer Materials
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 544638304

Co-culturing bacteria and eukaryotic cells is a vital biotechnological practice with applications in bioproduction, pollutant degradation, and drug testing. However, it faces challenges like differing growth rates and resource competition, necessitating specific strategies to optimize cell interactions. My project addresses these challenges by pursuing novel symbiotic relationships between engineered and natural systems, aiming to create synergistic systems of living cells and synthetic polymers with functionalities beyond the capabilities of either entity alone, by imitating the natural evolution of established symbiotic relationships. This project has two main focuses: developing artificial symbiotic relationships with animal (insect) cells by constructing artificial cells (man-made structures operating like simplified real cells), akin to upgrading a computer with new hardware, and encapsulating whole, living bacteria in thin polymer encasings for cell attachment or internalization, inducing the same phenomenon that originally led to the evolution of mitochondria and chloroplasts. The project will use large artificial cells as ectosymbionts (symbionts living on the surface of the host cell) and explore the integration of small vesicles as artificial organelles within -model- insect cells for endosymbiosis (symbionts living inside the host cell). In a second moment, it will investigate living, prokaryotic symbionts: polymer-enveloped probiotic bacteria will be ectosymbionts of insect cells; cyanobacteria will instead create photosynthetic ectosymbionts. Finally, the project will develop insect-bacterial endosymbionts and analyze genomic changes in these novel relationships. The project will leverage my prior expertise in polymer chemistry and synthetic biology, as demonstrated in my work with artificial cells and enzymatic polymerization, to innovate in the creation of artificial cells. These cells, ranging from nano to micro scale, will be designed to interact with eukaryotic host cells, providing a modular approach to augmenting cellular functions. My previous work on creating polymer coatings for E. coli and exploring their integration into mammalian cells lays the groundwork for these ambitious goals. This comprehensive approach, backed by my established research network and the state-of-the-art facilities at TU Darmstadt, aims to revolutionize cell engineering and open up new biotechnological applications. This initiative is set to eventually enhance disease treatment and biomanufacturing by combining the precision of materials science with biological complexity.

• DFG Programme: Independent Junior Research Groups
• Major Instrumentation: Plate reader with live cell imaging and real-time cytometry
• Instrumentation Group: 5042 Mikroskope für Hochdurchsatz und Screening