DigiBio pilot projects
Four collaborating research groups lead DigiBio pilot projects. We use these collaborations to develop and test laboratory, automation, and analysis methods that we can adapt to other projects.
Rational strain engineering. Ilona Faustova leads Looglab, which runs a pilot on phospho-regulated circuits in yeast production strains. The project combines machine-learning-guided design, strain construction, experimental testing, production measurement, and data analysis.
Randomised strain engineering. Petri-Jaan Lahtvee’s Food Tech and Bioengineering lab at TalTech drives a pilot using lipid-producing yeast. It creates many strain and enzyme variants by random mutagenesis via error-prone PCR, and combines colony handling, cultivation, growth and production screening, sequencing, metabolic modelling, and machine learning.
Cell-free bioengineering. Kaspar Valgepea’s Gas Fermentation group drives a pilot testing genetic parts, enzymes, and pathways in cell extracts before moving selected designs into gas-fermenting microbes. The work covers lysate preparation, cell-free reactions, measurement, and later testing in living strains. Analysis of the results helps identify which design features matter for performance and guide the next round of designs.
Protein engineering for lignin conversion. Eve-Ly Ojangu’s Laboratory of Structural Biology and Lignin Biochemistry at TalTech drives a pilot to improve the bacterial laccase TtLLAC for breaking lignin into useful aromatic compounds. It combines substrate docking, AI-guided mutation design, gene synthesis, protein expression, and activity testing.
Other research collaborations
We also work with research groups on:
- RNA polymerase engineering. We engineer RNA-dependent RNA polymerases for self-amplifying and trans-amplifying RNA technologies.
- Small-molecule design against HPV. We design small molecules against HPV from protein structures.
- Compound screening against pathogens. We screen small-molecule compounds against intracellular pathogens, including effects that depend on the host-cell context.
- Fish toxicology and cancer susceptibility. We compare susceptibility to cancer development and tolerance to environmental toxins in cells from different fish species.