S129: Metabolic engineering to increase production of malonyl-CoA derived products

As the demand for fuels and chemicals increases, the biological production of products from renewable feedstocks has become a means of supplementing or even replacing a number of traditionally petroleum-based products. This growing field of bio-refining relies upon the use of microorganisms to convert renewable carbon sources into higher value products.   OPXBIO has engineered strains towards the economical production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), which has been widely recognized as a platform bio-product with several valuable market applications.  One such product, the monomer acrylic acid, represents an $8 Billion global opportunity with end-product applications in paints and coatings, textiles, water treatment, and superabsorbent polymers.  A key focus of strain development efforts was towards increasing the cellular pools of malonyl-CoA, the first committed intermediate for the 3-HP production pathway. This engineered micro-organism and bioprocess is capable of producing commercially relevant rates, titers, and yields of 3-HP, which enable the large scale production of biologically derived acrylic acid at production costs competitive with petroleum based sources.