Highlights•Advances in biotechnology unlock access to chemical diversity and natural
products.•Metabolic engineering enables the discovery and production of new-to-nature …

Metabolic engineering aims to improve the production of economically valuable molecules
through the genetic manipulation of microbial metabolism. While the discipline is a little over …

Metabolic engineering has the potential to produce from simple, readily available,
inexpensive starting materials a large number of chemicals that are currently derived from …

Recently, metabolic engineering has been developed rapidly to produce various chemicals,
fuels and natural products from renewable biomass, contributing to reduced dependence on …

Synthetic biologists combine modular biological “parts” to create higher-order devices.
Metabolic engineers construct biological “pipes” by optimizing the microbial conversion of …

Highlights•Biology can expand the scope of chemical manufacturing, but limitations
persist.•Green chemistry offers a sustainable alternative to petrochemical …

Metabolic engineering is a powerful tool for the sustainable production of chemicals. Over
the years, the exploration of microbial, animal and plant metabolism has generated a wealth …

In this perspective, we highlight recent examples and trends in metabolic engineering and
synthetic biology that demonstrate the synthetic potential of enzyme and pathway …

By transforming inexpensive raw materials into value-added chemicals via engineered
microorganisms, metabolic engineering is emerging as a translational field with commercial …

Concerns about future oil supplies and climate change are fueling interest in sustainable
alternative sources of energy and chemicals. Biomass is a renewable feedstock that has the …