5. Understanding metabolic interactions This transatlantic project is funded by NSF and BBSRC. It enables a collaboration between the research groups of Orkun Soyer and Wenying Shou (at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Centre). The project will focus on understanding how metabolic interactions among microbes (within and across populations) emerge and how they evolve. The Soyer group will focus on developing first-principles based models that can explain metabolic overflows that serve as the initial step to metabolic interactions, and will develop biophysical and metabolic analysis methods of co-cultures developed in Shou lab. the two groups will establish a model-experiment cycle to make significant progress towards predictive understanding of metabolic interactions. Timeframe: 2019-2023.
4. BioElectrical Engineering (BEE) Innovation Hub This small project is funded by the BBSRC Impact Award to the University of Warwick (UoW). It aims to establish a BEE Innovation Hub that will foster collaborations at the intersection of fundamental and applied research into bioelectricity. The Hub also will act as a facilitator in establishing a UK-wide and international research community composing of academics and industrialists. Timeframe: 2018-2021. Weblink: BEELink opens in a new window
3. Electrical control of cancer metabolism This project is funded by a 'Pioneer Award' from Cancer Research UK. It is based on our developing vision of cellular metabolism as an electron transfer system, shaped by thermodynamic and biophysical constraints. Within this framework, this project will explore the possible influencing of cell metabolism by means of electrode interfacing (direct and mediated by redox agents). Timeframe: 2018/9-2020/1.
2. Analysis of electrical communication in a synthetic fungi-bacteria-plant system This project is part of the Warwick Integrative Centre for Synthetic Biology (WISBLink opens in a new window) that is funded by the BBSRC and EPSRC. It follows on from our ongoing work in a synthetic fungi-bacteria system, to explore the role of electrical signals in the growth and interaction of the involved species. Timeframe: 2018-2020.
1. Analysis of bistability in metabolic reaction motifs This PhD project is funded through the SynBioCDT. It aims to identify simple biochemical mechanisms in metabolic enzymatic reaction systems that can generate bistability and oscillatory dynamics. The resulting mechanisms are then analyzed against real system, where they can be identified and used to control metabolic system dynamics. The identified mechanisms can also be incorporated in vitro using cell free enzymatic systems.