Metabolic Engineering-(14M11BT215) -2026EVENSEM

This advanced course introduces students to the principles and methodologies of metabolic engineering, focusing on the design and optimization of cellular pathways for enhanced production of industrially relevant metabolites. It integrates biochemical, molecular, and computational approaches to understand and manipulate metabolic fluxes, enzymatic regulation, and pathway control in microbial systems. Students will explore the molecular basis of primary and secondary metabolite biosynthesis, apply thermodynamic and kinetic principles, and utilize modern tools such as genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics to engineer metabolic networks for biotechnological applications.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • Understand the interplay of intracellular reactions and their impact on cellular metabolism.

  • Apply enzymatic regulation and thermodynamic principles to control metabolic processes.

  • Analyze and manipulate fluxes in metabolic pathways for targeted metabolite production.

  • Explore molecular pathways for the synthesis of antibiotics, enzymes, and pharmaceutical proteins.

  • Perform metabolic flux analysis using isotopic labeling and evaluate data using bioinformatics tools.

  • Utilize genomic and proteomic data to inform pathway engineering and genetic modifications.

  • Assess the implications of pathway modifications using DNA arrays and cluster analysis.

Core Topics

  • Introduction to metabolic engineering and biochemical pathway design

  • Biosynthesis of polyketides, terpenoids, steroids, alkaloids, and peptide antibiotics

  • Enzyme kinetics, rate laws, and pathway regulation

  • Metabolic flux analysis and control theory

  • Thermodynamic analysis of biochemical reactions

  • Genomics, proteomics, and molecular tools for pathway engineering

  • Bioinformatics applications in metabolic data evaluation

Pedagogical Approach

The course blends lectures, case studies, and research-driven assignments to foster analytical thinking and hands-on experience in pathway design and optimization. Emphasis is placed on real-world applications in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and industrial biotechnology.

Recommended Texts

  • Metabolic Engineering: Principles and Methodologies by Stephanopoulos et al.

  • Microbial Metabolic Engineering (Methods in Molecular Biology Series)

  • Selected research articles and case studies from current literature