Bio-based Sebacic Acid Strain Engineering for Bio-monomers

Sebacic Acid is a crucial bio-monomer used in the production of high-performance polymers (like Nylon 6,10) and plasticizers. Traditionally, it is derived through the chemical cracking of castor oil, a source that is highly susceptible to price volatility and limited geographical availability, leading to variable costs and supply chain instability.

CD Biosynsis focuses on developing highly efficient microbial cell factories for the sustainable production of Sebacic Acid. We employ precise metabolic engineering strategies to optimize the omega-oxidation pathway in non-conventional yeasts, such as Candida tropicalis or Yarrowia lipolytica, enabling the efficient conversion of renewable feedstocks like n-alkanes or fatty acids. Our goal is to achieve high titer and yield of Sebacic Acid by preventing its further degradation, ensuring an economically competitive and reliable bio-monomer source.

Pain Points

Developing bio-based Sebacic Acid production faces several critical biological and industrial limitations:

• Low Efficiency of Omega-Oxidation: The microbial omega-oxidation pathway for converting alkanes or fatty acids to dicarboxylic acids often has low flux or poor selectivity, leading to a mix of side products.
• Product Degradation: The desirable Sebacic Acid (C10 dicarboxylic acid) is often further degraded by the native beta-oxidation pathway, drastically reducing the final titer and yield.
• Substrate Transport and Toxicity: The non-conventional substrates (n-alkanes) can be difficult for the host cell to uptake and may exhibit toxicity, limiting the overall fermentation rate and substrate concentration.
• Cofactor Dependency: The key enzymes in the omega-oxidation pathway, such as Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, are highly dependent on high levels of NADPH, and its regeneration can be a metabolic bottleneck.

Overcoming these challenges requires metabolic reprogramming to prioritize the synthesis and accumulation of the C10 dicarboxylic acid monomer.

Solutions

CD Biosynsis applies advanced synthetic biology and metabolic engineering to enhance the sustainable production of Sebacic Acid:

Optimization of Omega-Oxidation Pathway

We engineer Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases and associated reductases (e.g., in Candida tropicalis) to enhance the specific conversion of n-Decane or C10 fatty acids to Sebacic Acid.

Beta-Oxidation Knockout Strategy

We employ gene knockout of the beta-oxidation pathway to completely eliminate the degradation of Sebacic Acid, ensuring its efficient accumulation and high final product titer.

Enhanced Substrate Utilization

We modify cell membrane and transport systems to improve the uptake of hydrophobic substrates (alkanes/fatty acids) and increase cell tolerance to high substrate/product concentrations.

Cofactor Regeneration Engineering

We engineer metabolic pathways to increase the supply and regeneration rate of NADPH, the essential cofactor for the Cytochrome P450 system, boosting pathway flux.

This targeted engineering of non-conventional hosts ensures a reliable, high-yield route for bio-based Sebacic Acid production.

Advantages

Choosing CD Biosynsis's Sebacic Acid strain engineering service offers the following core value:

Expertise in Non-Conventional Yeasts

Specialization in engineering yeasts (Candida, Yarrowia) capable of utilizing hydrophobic substrates for high-titer production of dicarboxylic acids.

Maximized Product Accumulation

Beta-oxidation knockout ensures that the Sebacic Acid product is not degraded, leading to a significantly higher final titer and yield.

Stable and Sustainable Supply Chain

Reduces reliance on variable castor oil supply by utilizing more abundant, low-cost alkanes or fatty acids as feedstocks.

Efficient Cofactor Utilization

Engineering efforts are focused on energy balance to ensure optimal availability of NADPH, eliminating a major bottleneck in the P450 system.

High Purity for Polymerization

The targeted metabolic strategy minimizes side products, ensuring the final Sebacic Acid meets the purity standards required for Nylon 6,10 and plasticizer production.

We are dedicated to providing genetically superior microbial strains to drive the commercial success of the bio-based dicarboxylic acid market.

Process

CD Biosynsis's Sebacic Acid strain engineering service follows a standardized research workflow, ensuring every step is precise and controllable:

• Host Analysis and Pathway Definition: Define target Sebacic Acid titer and yield. Conduct Metabolic Flux Analysis to identify rate-limiting steps in the omega-oxidation pathway and potential bypasses.
• Technical Solution Design: Formulate the engineering plan, focusing on the gene knockout strategy for beta-oxidation and the optimization of Cytochrome P450 and reductase enzyme expression.
• Strain Editing and Construction: Complete the construction of synthetic cassettes. Use CRISPR or other tools for the precise and stable chromosomal integration of pathway genes and the deletion of beta-oxidation genes.
• Performance Validation Experiments: Conduct fed-batch fermentation experiments using n-alkane or fatty acid substrates, measuring the final Sebacic Acid titer (g/L), specific production rate, and carbon yield.
• Result Report Output: Compile a Strain Engineering Experimental Report that includes fermentation kinetics, genetic modification map, and detailed chemical analysis (GC/HPLC) of the final Sebacic Acid purity, essential for industrial adoption.

Technical communication is maintained throughout the process, focusing on timely performance feedback and strategic adjustments to the metabolic engineering plan.

Accelerate your Bio-based Sebacic Acid R&D and scale-up! CD Biosynsis provides customized strain engineering solutions:

• Detailed Flux Analysis and Pathway Report, outlining the most impactful genetic targets for high-yield Sebacic Acid production.
• Contracted clients receive consultation on optimizing two-phase fermentation strategies for alkane utilization and product extraction.
• Experimental reports include complete raw data on growth kinetics, carbon conversion efficiency, and final Sebacic Acid titer, essential for commercialization.