Professor Chris Corre

Supervisor Details

Contact Details

Professor Chris Corre

School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick

Scientific Background

Research Interests

The core focus areas of Prof. Chris Corre’s multidisciplinary research team are:

Gene regulation in biosynthesis – Investigating how biosynthetic genes are regulated in actinomycetes using advanced molecular microbiology tools.
Biosynthetic pathway engineering – Exploring how natural products are made through bioinformatics, enzymology, and heterologous expression of biosynthetic enzymes.
Natural product discovery – Identifying, isolating, and determining the structure of novel natural products using analytical chemistry techniques.
Industrial-scale production – Scaling up the production of antimicrobial, sunscreen, and agrochemical agents using optimised Streptomyces chassis strains.

Supervision Style

In three words or phrases: Student-centred, Supportive, Collaborative

Provision of Training

Technical training will be provided by members of the research group (postdocs and PhD students) and by other researchers in charge of analytical chemistry dedicated pieces of equipment. Over the course of the project, I expect PhD students to become increasingly independent and to really take ownership of their project.

Progression Monitoring and Management

I will expect you to take ownership of your progression but come to me with updates on a weekly/monthly basis and whenever you need advice or any help troubleshooting.

Communication

I generally communicate in person or on email.

Meetings

PhD Students can expect scheduled meetings with me at least once per week. These meetings will be face-to-face. I am usually contactable for an instant response on every working day.

Work Patterns

Certain tasks in my lab need to occur at set times, and students need to be able to commit to a rota/timetable shared with other members of the team.

Notice Period for Feedback

I need at least 1 week's notice to provide feedback on written work of up to 5,000 words.

MIBTP Project Details

Primary supervisor for:

Microbial factories for eco-friendly sunscreens: harnessing Streptomyces to produce mycosporine-like amino acids

See the PhD Opportunities section to see if this project is currently open for applications via MIBTP.

Please Note: The main page lists projects via BBSRC Research Theme(s) quoted and then relevant Topic(s).

Microbial factories for eco-friendly sunscreens: harnessing Streptomyces to produce mycosporine-like amino acids

Secondary Supervisor(s): Dr Richard Puxty

University of Registration: University of Warwick

BBSRC Research Themes:

Renewable Resources and Clean Growth (Industrial Biotechnology)

Project Outline

This project aims to develop a sustainable platform for producing natural UV-protective compounds using bacteria. Many organisms, including algae, fungi, and cyanobacteria, naturally make mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs). These molecules act as natural sunscreens, protecting cells from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Because they are biodegradable and safe, MAAs are promising alternatives to some chemical UV-filters currently found in sunscreens, which can damage ecosystems and pose health risks.

However, natural producers generate MAAs only in very small amounts and often in complex mixtures, making large-scale extraction impractical. This research seeks to harness Streptomyces, a soil-dwelling bacterium widely used for producing valuable natural products such as antibiotics, as a microbial factory to produce MAAs in higher yields. By introducing the genetic instructions for MAA biosynthesis into Streptomyces, the project aims to build a reliable and scalable production platform.

The objectives are to:

1. Identify and characterise new genes and enzymes involved in MAA biosynthesis in cyanobacteria.

2. Design and construct synthetic plasmids to introduce these genes into Streptomyces.

3. Apply analytical chemistry to detect, isolate, and determine the structures of novel MAAs.

4. Engineer the bacterial strains to optimise production levels.

5. Develop a fermentation process for sustainable, cost-effective MAA production.

The approach integrates bioinformatics, microbiology, synthetic biology, analytical chemistry, and bioprocess engineering.

If successful, this project will open the door to eco-friendly sunscreens and highlight how biotechnology can replace harmful chemical processes with greener, renewable solutions.

Co-supervisor on projects with Dr Alexander Darlington and Dr Manuela Tosin.