Digital Tools for Codon Optimization
Exploring biotech's potential for negative emissions technologies
At a glance
- Project leader : Dr. Victor Garcia
- Project budget : CHF 107'000
- Project status : completed
- Funding partner : Public sector (excl. federal government) (Kanton Zürich / Digitalisierungsinitiative DIZH)
- Contact person : Victor Garcia
Description
This project proposes to develop, study and apply mathematical models to optimize protein production of a gene that stems from one organism in a different organism. The focus will lie specifically on genes involved in the biosynthesis of suberin. Suberin is a carbon-rich decay-resistant biopolyester, found majorly in the epidermis of plant roots or in the bark of trees. Due to its chemical properties, suberin may be effective at aiding the more permanent storage of carbon in soil, thus serving as an enhancer of soil carbon sequestration (SCS). SCS is a widely investigated negative emissions technology (NET). NETs are technologies that actively remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, and play an important role in scientific models that integrate society, economy and biosphere into an overarching framework to assess the impacts of global warming. NETs, if deployed at scale, may permit to stabilize climate in accord with the Paris climate agreement. Thus, a better understanding of how suberin expression is controlled in plants can contribute to addressing important current societal challenges.
Publications
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Garcia, Victor; Horn, Claus; Ott, Thomas,
2022.
The sciences of data – moving towards a comprehensive systems perspective.
Archives of Data Science, Series A.
8(2).
Available from: https://doi.org/10.5445/IR/1000150241
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Zrimec, Jan; Buric, Filip; Kokina, Mariia; Garcia, Victor; Zelezniak, Aleksej,
2021.
Learning the regulatory code of gene expression.
Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences.
8(673363).
Available from: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmolb.2021.673363