China News Service, Beijing, September 24 (Reporter Sun Zifa) "It is possible to transform the traditional agricultural planting model of starch production to the production model of industrial workshops" "will provide new products for the future production of starch, which is a globally important substance, through industrial biological manufacturing. "It is the first time that mankind has realized non-photosynthetic starch synthesis" and "will have a huge impact on the next generation of biomanufacturing and agricultural development" and "will help solve the major challenges we face in the future."

　　For the first time in the laboratory, Chinese scientists realized the de novo synthesis of carbon dioxide to starch, which was a major disruptive and original breakthrough paper. The paper was published online in the internationally renowned academic journal Science on the 24th, which also sparked the focus and heated discussion among Chinese and foreign peer experts.

Researchers from Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences displayed artificially synthesized starch samples in the laboratory.

Photo courtesy of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Technology Photography Alliance

　　Zhou Qi, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and deputy dean of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that the conversion and utilization of carbon dioxide and the synthesis of grain starch industry are one of the major scientific and technological issues in response to global challenges.

The innovative scientific research organization model of Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the cooperative research team conducted joint research. According to the principle of engineering, using biological computing technology, the unnatural carbon dioxide fixed reduction and starch synthesis new path was designed and constructed, which was the first time in the laboratory. Realize the de novo synthesis from carbon dioxide to starch, making it possible to transform the traditional agricultural planting model of starch production to the production model of industrial workshops.

　　American Association for the Advancement of Science/"Science" magazine executive director Megan Feilan believes that the latest paper discusses a new synthetic starch (common plant carbohydrate) method.

This synthesis process involves the use of carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The research results will provide a new technological route for the production of starch, a globally important substance, through industrial biological manufacturing in the future.

　　Ouyang Pingkai, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and former president of Nanjing University of Technology, said that Ma Yanhe, director of the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has completed the major scientific project of synthesizing starch from carbon dioxide, from carbon dioxide to methanol, and then further synthesizing methanol to starch. This is the first time that mankind has achieved non-photosynthetic starch synthesis. It is of great significance to China and the world in solving the problem of carbon dioxide-generating starch, which is a basic human food and raw material, and the work of "carbon neutrality".

　　"This is a scientific research achievement of great significance." Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and researcher of the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhao Guoping, pointed out that Ma Yanhe's team designed and constructed a new artificial starch synthesis pathway, which is original. The result is a major breakthrough in the frontier research field of expanding and enhancing the ability of artificial photosynthesis, making it possible to transform the traditional agricultural planting model of starch production to the production model of industrial workshops.

At the same time, it also demonstrates the great potential of the synthetic biology engineering scientific research strategy, and provides a successful example for the strategic orientation of basic research on the bottleneck scientific and technological issues in the realization of major application goals.

　　Chen Xiaoya, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a researcher at the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that carbon dioxide fixation is the basis for life on earth.

Ma Yanhe's team combined inorganic catalysis with enzyme catalysis, and creatively fixed carbon dioxide to synthesize starch in an in vitro system. This is a remarkable breakthrough, and it is also inspiring for plant science and agricultural scientific research.

　　Chen Jian, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and former president of Jiangnan University, said that the results of this research are a combination of chemical and biological methods, mainly using a series of new technologies such as protein engineering and synthetic biology to directly synthesize starch from carbon dioxide, completely subverting the tradition. The production method of starch.

The work of Ma Yanhe's team is a typical "0 to 1" original achievement. It will not only have a revolutionary impact on future agricultural production, especially food production, but also have milestone significance for the development of the global biomanufacturing industry.

　　"Synthesis of starch with carbon dioxide as a raw material is an amazing case of using synthetic biology to solve several major challenges facing today's society." said Jens Nielsen, a member of the American Academy of Engineering and a professor at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. Professor Ma Yanhe and his colleagues The team used a recombinant enzyme system composed of different types of enzymes to successfully convert methanol produced by carbon dioxide chemical catalysis into starch. This is a wonderful case of combining modern catalytic chemistry with synthetic biology. “This major breakthrough will be more important in the future. Paving the way for multiple related studies, the integration and application of these studies will help solve the major challenges we face in the future."

　　Li Sangye, a member of the National Academy of Science and Engineering of Korea and the deputy dean of the Korea Academy of Science and Technology, believes that Professor Ma Yanhe led the research team to catalyze carbon dioxide into methanol through the integration of chemical catalysis and biosynthesis, and convert methanol into starch through multi-enzyme biosynthesis. .

"This is a very remarkable work", demonstrating the tremendous power of synthetic biology in the design of biosynthetic pathways and enzymes, and also showing the importance of combining chemistry and biology for the production of bio-based chemicals and materials .

　　Professor Akihiko Kondo, Vice President and Professor of Kobe University in Japan and Deputy Director of the Sustainable Resource Science Center of the Japan Institute of Physics and Chemistry, said that Professor Ma Yanhe and his team have made a major breakthrough in the conversion of carbon dioxide into starch. The research results are extraordinary. Without relying on photosynthesis, the synthesis from carbon dioxide to starch is undoubtedly our long-term dream. We can use synthetic starch to produce a variety of materials and foods. Therefore, the results of this research will be useful for the next generation of biological manufacturing and agricultural development. great influence".

　　"As we all know, the fixation and conversion of carbon dioxide into useful organic chemicals is a major international challenge." said Manfred Reitz, a member of the German Academy of Sciences, a member of the European Academy of Sciences, and an emeritus professor at the Max Planck Institute of Coal Research in Germany. He and the professor and his collaborators have taken a big step forward in the research in this field, and at the same time pushed the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to the world's top level. He is full of hope and optimism for further innovative research in the future.

　　Zhou Qi also reminded that the latest research results of Chinese scientists on the de novo synthesis of carbon dioxide to starch are still in the laboratory stage, and there is still a long way to go before practical applications. The follow-up also needs to achieve a breakthrough from the concept of "0 to 1" as soon as possible. The conversion of "1 to 10" and "10 to 100" will eventually become an effective means and tool for solving major problems and needs facing human development.

　　He said that the Chinese Academy of Sciences will integrate relevant scientific and technological forces and continue to support the in-depth advancement of this research.

At the same time, I hope that the team of Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences will continue to focus on target tasks, benchmark national strategic needs, further strengthen key technology research, actively explore and in-depth research, aim at the direction of technological development, solidify the dominant position in this field, and strengthen intellectual property protection , Cost and competitiveness analysis, and accelerate the follow-up work.

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