ABSTRACT
While systems metabolic engineering approaches have been successfully applied to create high-performing industrial strains that produce important chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and other natural products, there are still many unknowns that need to be addressed in the near future. One potential roadblock is the inability of current technology to identify all of the biochemical pathways for the production of important compounds in any organism. Genomics-enabled approaches to cellular engineering will continue to be important for designing microbial systems that produce chemicals and natural products in the near future. One promising approach for the future is exome sequencing, which enables more focused data mining and pathway analysis than whole genome approaches. Enzyme engineering approaches generally start with identification of the desired product for production and an appropriate microbial host species to serve at the chassis for the engineering effort. Biomedical applications of systems biology include de novo engineering or reprogramming human cells to perform functions that aid the treatment of diseases.
