Eight connected objectives guide the consortium’s work. They describe the research programme and its intended outcomes.
01 · Engineer precise biological control
Use computational design to develop CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) regulation, proteins and riboregulators with defined functions. These tools provide the control needed to redirect activity in engineered cyanobacteria.
02 · Improve systems through evolution
Apply evolutionary optimisation to gene regulators, hydrogenases and oxygen-consuming devices. The aim is to improve function and performance under the conditions needed for hydrogen production.
03 · Adapt the organism to scale
Adapt engineered Synechocystis to large-scale bioreactor conditions, connecting laboratory development with the demands of cultivation and process operation.
04 · Improve photosynthesis and electron flow
Modify the photosynthetic antenna and associated pathways to improve light tolerance, extend usable light conditions and direct electron flow towards hydrogen production.
05 · Develop hydrogen-producing enzymes
Identify and optimise novel [FeFe]-hydrogenases through discovery and rational design, with the aim of improving their capacity to produce hydrogen in the engineered biological system.
06 · Adapt to saline conditions
Improve Synechocystis growth and salt tolerance. This could enable cultivation using seawater, reduce freshwater demand and broaden the settings in which the technology can operate.
07 · Manage oxygen inhibition
Develop ways to reduce intracellular oxygen and combine hydrogen-producing and oxygen-consuming devices in the engineered chassis. This addresses a central incompatibility between oxygenic photosynthesis and oxygen-sensitive hydrogenases.
08 · Engineer the photobioreactor
Improve the design, construction and performance of a custom multiplate photobioreactor for solar-driven, photobiological hydrogen production. The reactor provides a setting in which the biological and engineering advances can be evaluated together.