Centre for Synthetic Biology @TUDarmstadt

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻🥁𝗶𝘀𝘁 der 𝗧𝗮𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗲𝗻 & 𝗠ä𝗱𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗳𝘁 + 𝘄𝗶𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗴𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻, 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝗻 𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗶ß𝘁 👉🏼𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗟𝗢𝗘𝗪𝗘 𝗽𝗿ä𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘁: 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗲𝗻, 𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗟𝗢𝗘𝗪𝗘-𝗦𝗽𝗶𝘁𝘇𝗲𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘂𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻👏🏽 – 𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗔𝗸𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘇𝘂𝗺 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗮𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗮̈𝗱𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻+𝗙𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗲𝗻,𝟭𝟭. FEB 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲!

Today is International Day of Women and Girls in Science: There are strong role models for this in the Research Field Matter and Materials at @tuda.bsky.social!
They are catalysts, mentors, role models and important voices in a diverse research community.
#WomenInSTEM #WomenInScience

Varying Monomer Charge in SI-bioATRP Polymer Grafting from Mesoporous Silica Polymer functionalization of mesoporous materials is crucial for a range of technologies including separation and sensing. In this study, we investigate the influence of monomer charge on enzyme-catalyzed polymerizations in mesoporous silica particles. Specifically, we copolymerize various charged monomers, such as potassium 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate (KSPMA), [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (METAC), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate phosphate (MEP), and 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), with the positively charged fluorescent comonomer rhodamine-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (RhoB-HEMA), using enzyme-catalyzed surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-bioATRP). The polymerizations were performed in mesoporous spherical silica particles with average pore diameters of 23, 21, 17, and 12 nm using hemoglobin (Hb) as the catalyst. By adjusting the ratio of the fluorescent comonomer RhoB-HEMA to the charged monomers, the amount of the fluorescent comonomer in the polymers can be varied. Size-restricted accessibility of hemoglobin and small molecules, such as monomers to mesopores, especially when the pore neck diameter was smaller than the size of the protein, led to polymer formation mostly in the outer regions of the particles. Larger mesopores led to a homogeneous distribution of copolymers throughout the particles and to a higher overall polymer content within the mesoporous structures. These findings provide insights into the possibilities of functionalizing silica mesopores with polyelectrolytes via enzymatic SI-bioATRP, while the fluorescent comonomer enabled direct visualization of the copolymers by fluorescence microscopy. We anticipate that this approach will further advance the field of polymerization in confined nanoporous environments.

How does charge and pore size shape polymer growth? The groups of Nico Bruns and Annette Andrieu-Brunsen @tuda.bsky.social show how enzyme-catalyzed polymerization inside mesoporous silica can be tuned and even visualized opening new paths for functional nanomaterials. pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1...

On #WorldCancerDay, proud that MultiDrug-TDM helps drive innovation for better quality of life for pediatric cancer patients 🎗️

The Coli Toolkit (CTK): An Extension of the Modular Yeast Toolkit for Use in E. coli Genetic circuits are a cornerstone of synthetic biology, enabling programmable control of cellular behavior for applications in health, sustainability, and biotechnology. While Genetic Design Automati...

Check out the the Coli Toolkit (CTK): an extension of the modular yeast toolkit for use in E. coli published in ACS Synthetic Biology by the group of Heinz Koeppl @tuda.bsky.social pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

🔎Participants sought: “Leben nach Gewalt” by @loewe-dynamic.bsky.social explores why🧑🏾‍🤝‍🧑🏾👨‍👨‍👦🧑🏽‍🤝‍🧑🏽👨‍👦respond differently to traumatic violence. @goetheuni.bsky.social, @jlugiessen.bsky.social + @unimarburg.bsky.social combine psych, bio+socialdata to make therapy more effective➡️ www.linkedin.com/posts/chiara...

How do cells keep their recycling system running? A research collaboration led by @tuda.bsky.social+headed by Dr. Oliver Rauh uncovered how the protein TMEM175 prevents Lysosome hyperacidity+how dysfunctions damage neurons and can be linked to Parkinson’s. The results provide a basis for🆕therapies.

On the 4th of December at 17:00 we are pleased to welcome Annegret Wilde (@freecyano.bsky.social) from @uni-freiburg.de to our SynBio seminar series @tuda.bsky.social, with a talk entitled: RNA localization in cyanobacteria and the mRNA targeting hypothesis for gene retention in chloroplasts 🧪

The SynBioReactor is the place to be for BioTech Startups!
Show us what you’ve got during our Pitching Competition and get the chance to win a fantastic prize that will help move you and your startup forward🚀.
Learn more about SBR and apply for our Pitching Competition👇!
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✨ Welcome to the Research Field Matter and Materials (M+M) at @tuda.bsky.social!
We conduct basic research on particles, materials, and cells, and uses interdisciplinary and collaborative research and development work to design groundbreaking technologies and building blocks for our future.

Beyond the niche - unlocking the full potential of synthetic riboswitches - Nature Communications Synthetic riboswitches are a burgeoning regulatory tool in the field of molecular biology. Here, the authors explore the unique features of synthetic riboswitches, highlight key applications, assess c...

The group of Prof. Beatrix Suess @tuda.bsky.social highlights in Nature Communications how synthetic riboswitches can move beyond niche uses. These modular, protein-free RNA switches enable precise gene control and hold strong promise for biotechnology and medicine.
doi.org/10.1038/s414...

Spielerisch🤹🏼‍♂️ #Wissenschaft und #Demokratie von innen 🏋🏼stärken: ProLOEWE mit dem #Wissenschaftsplanspiel „Wissen🆚Meinung“ #KI, am 28. November 2025 zu Gast bei der @leopoldina.org in Halle. Mehr dazu ➡️ proloewe.de/de/aktuelles... + ➡️ www.leopoldina.org/veranstaltun...

🆕NEU&schick: die aktuelle Ausgabe der hoch³ –🗞️Zeitung der TU Darmstadt! LOEWE-Themen sind zu unserer Freude auch dabei 👍🏼Der neue LOEWE-Schwerpunkt „MultiDrug-TDM“, koordiniert an der TU Darmstadt @tuda.bsky.social , startet im Januar 2026. Und: 3 LOEWE-Exploration-Vorhaben mit TU-Beteiligung. Mehr⤵️

📘 Die neue Ausgabe der TUDa-Unizeitung hoch³ ist erschienen! Im Fokus: Das Sprachenkonzept der TUDa und der erfolgreiche RMU-Kooperationsstudiengang Medizintechnik. Jetzt reinschauen 👉 www.tu-darmstadt.de/universitaet...

On the 4th of December at 17:00 we are pleased to welcome Annegret Wilde from @uni-freiburg.de to our SynBio seminar series, where @freecyano.bsky.social will give a talk entitled: RNA localization in cyanobacteria and the mRNA targeting hypothesis for gene retention in chloroplasts.
#Synbio 🧪

Effect of In Situ-Formed Free Available Chlorine during Chlorine Dioxide-Based Disinfection of Escherichia Coli in the Presence of Natural Organic Matter Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is increasingly used as an alternative to chlorine in oxidative water treatment to mitigate the formation of halogenated disinfection byproducts. However, ClO2 can generate in ...

Torsten Waldminghaus and his colleagues @tuda.bsky.social have shown that free available chlorine (FAC) formed in situ plays a key role in the inactivation of E. coli during ClO₂ treatment. Disinfection efficiency depends on pH and natural organic matter composition.
doi.org/10.1021/acse...

🗞️TIP: ProLOEWE👱🏼🧑🏼‍🦰 with Kristian Kersting+Constantin @c-rothkopf.bsky.social, who bring together modern #AI + #cognitivescience➡️@tuda.bsky.social within LOEWE-WhiteBox. Who, together with their team, have succeeded in obtaining 2 clusters of #excellence with #RAI + #TAM ➡️ proloewe.de/en/proloewe-...

Force-based process monitoring in extrusion-based additive manufacturing Extrusion-based additive manufacturing is one of the most widely used 3D printing technologies. However, achieving reliable results, especially with challenging materials, still requires in-depth p...

New approach to extrusion 3D printing by the group of Andreas Bläser @tuda.bsky.social: Force measurements during the process enable real-time monitoring and quality control. More stable production, early fault detection. More information: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17452759.2025.2567383

The group of Andreas Blaeser @tuda.bsky.social has developed and validated a novel method for diagnosing disease through a non-invasive biomarker test — offering a more efficient path to early detection.
#biomarkers #diagnostics #innovation
👉 doi.org/10.1016/j.bioactmat.2025.09.027

Frontiers | Efficient accumulation of new irregular monoterpene malonyl glucosides in Nicotiana benthamiana achieved by co-expression of isoprenyl diphosphate synthases and substrate-producing enzymes Irregular monoterpenes have limited natural sources but possess unique activities applicable in medicine and agriculture. To enable sustainable plant-based p...

The group of Heribert Warzecha @tuda.bsky.social engineered Nicotiana benthamiana to produce new irregular monoterpene malonyl glucosides by co-expressing isoprenyl diphosphate synthases and key precursor enzymes — achieving record yields in plants.
👉 doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2025.1678814

The groups of Markus Biesalski and Harald Kolmar @tuda.bsky.social describe a paper-based fluorescent sensor for detecting lactate in cell culture media - covalently immobilized on cellulose without losing activity.
www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/15...
#biosensors #syntheticbiology #fluorescence

LOEWE FLOW FOR LIFE joins the Poster session at the Matter and Materials Symposium - Building Blocks for Future.
@tuda.bsky.social y.social
@synbio.bsky.social

𝗪𝗼𝘄, 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗰𝗵ö𝗻𝗲, 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗴𝗲𝗳ü𝗹𝗹𝘁𝗲+𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗟𝗢𝗘𝗪𝗘-𝗧𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘃𝗼𝗺 23.-24.🍂𝗢𝗸𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘂𝗳 𝗱𝗲𝗺🐮𝗚𝗹𝗮𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶 𝗟𝗢𝗘𝗪𝗘-𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘆, 𝗶𝗺 𝗟𝗶𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗴-𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗺 𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵 + 𝗯𝗲𝗶 𝗟𝗢𝗘𝗪𝗘-𝗔𝗗𝗠𝗜𝗧, Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen (𝗧𝗛𝗠) 𝗚𝗶𝗲ß𝗲𝗻! @jlugiessen.bsky.social
📸Katrina Friese, Leonie Dittrich+ProLOEWE

On the 16th of October at 14:30 in Darmstadt we are pleased to welcome Bastian Blombach from TU Munich in our SynBio seminar series with a talk entitled: Engineering Corynebacterium glutamicum and Vibrio natriegens for a more sustainable chemical economy.
Join us if you are interested in #Synbio 🧪

Glucose Oxidase Initiates Radical Polymerizations by Direct Electron Transfer to Monomers Glucose oxidase (GOx) is a widely used and studied enzyme, yet it continues to surprise with previously unknown activities. We report GOx to initiate radical polymerizations of acrylamides and methacr...

This is a paper by Eleonora Ornati and Iiulia Ushakova that I am really proud of. Who would have thought that the well-known Glucose Oxidase is up for some surprises, i.e., that it initiates radical polymerizations without the need for initiators or activation by light!
pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....

🚀 AI meets nanobody engineering!

The group of Harald Kolmar @tuda.bsky.social developed a computational tool to predict aggregation propensities of single-domain immunoglobulins (VHHs), enabling faster discovery & humanization of stable recombinant nanobodies.
www.mdpi.com/2073-4468/14...

Mikrobiologin + LOEWE-Spitzenprofessorin, Katharina Höfer,
@mpi-cbg.de + @unimarburg.bsky.social, lädt Gewinnerinnen von „Jugend forscht“ ins Labor von
@synbio.bsky.social ein, um gemeinsam zu forschen. Mehr zu den beiden Nachwuchsforsch.⤵️+Ihrer Arbeit➡️ www.linkedin.com/posts/proloe... @dfg.de

Talking about enzymatic radical polymerizations in and on cells as well as to create synthetic cells at #EPF2025 @epf2025.bsky.social in beautiful Groningen! What a fantastic gathering of the global polymer community! @metrazymes.bsky.social @tuda.bsky.social @synbio.bsky.social

The HP1 box of KAP1 organizes HP1α for silencing of endogenous retroviral elements in embryonic stem cells - Nature Communications Silencing of endogenous retroviral elements (ERVs) is mediated by KAP1. Here, the authors describe the molecular mechanism by which KAP1 induces structural reorganization and multimerization of HP1α a...

Our new paper is out:
we explored the role KAP1 and HP1alpha in retroviral elements silencing.
Check it out:
doi.org/10.1038/s414...
cardoso-lab.org/pages/public...
@tuda.bsky.social @synbio.bsky.social

HESSENTAG:𝗟𝗢𝗘𝗪𝗘-𝗙𝗟𝗢𝗪𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘 𝗵𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻 "𝗠𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵-𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻"➡️𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺𝘀 𝗳ü𝗿 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗳𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗴, 𝗞𝘂𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗞𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿! Wo? Treffpunkt Hessen (Lageplan Nummer 13) 📌 Stand des Hessischen Ministeriums für Wissenschaft und Forschung (Zelt 1, Stand 111) @tuda.bsky.social