Research

Research topics

  • Synthetic biology
  • Single cell biology using Raman micro-spectroscopy

 

Highlighted publications:

  • Proposed and developed artificial photosynthesis (Nat Commun 2023, ACS Synth Biol 2022) and H2 production (PNAS 2024) using rhodopsin light harvesting system.

This is first report to convert a non-photosynthetic microorganism Ralstonia eutropha H16 into a photosynthetic one by engineering rhodopsin and electron transfer system. This research has been collected as one of The Top 25 Life and Biological Sciences Articles of 2023 in Nature Communications (https://www.nature.com/collections/diiebagcjj).

  • Proposed and developed reprogrammable SimCells (simple cells) as chassis for synthetic biology (PNAS 2020, Appl Environ Microbiol 2019, ACS Synth Biol 2021 and 2022).

  • Pioneer of Raman microscopic analysis of single cells, which has been documented in classic textbook ‘Brock Biology of Microorganisms’ 15th Edition at Chapter 19).

  • Anal Chem. 2004. (First report on single cell Raman technology).

  • Development of the first Raman activated cell by microfluidic device (Environ Microbiol Rep 2009, Lab Chip 2016, Anal Chem 2017) and Raman ejection technology (Sci Adv 2024, Microbial Biotech 2017, Anal Chem 2013)

  • Integration of stable-isotope Raman spectroscopy and fluorescence in situ hybridization for the single cell analysis of identity and function. Environ Microbiol. 2007. (First report using Raman-FISH).

Raman single cell technology has been highlighted by Nature and other high-impact journals (Annu Rev Microbiol 2009, Nat Rev Microbiol 2020, Nature Microbiol, 2024).

  • Designed and applied biosensors to environment and medicine.

Various biosensors have been developed since from 2005, which have been applied to medical diagnosis and toxicity detection in US, China, Bangladesh and India (Environ Microbiol 2005, Plant J 2006, Environ Sci Tech 2009, Microb Biotech 2011, Water Res 2012, Appl Environ Microbiol 2019, Sci Total Environ 2020, Microb Biotech 2021, ACS Synth Biol 2021, Sci Total Environ 2023, Chemosphere 2018, Water Res 2019).

  • Development of rapid Covid-19 test (Microb Biotechnol 2020), which has been ranked as top cited paper in 2020 and 2021 in Microbial Biotechnology.

The technology has been applied to make rapid diagnosis kit which has been deployed in 7 major international airports across the UK and reported by 24 international media. The importance of this work has been recognized by the President’s Special Award from the Royal Academy of Engineering and won the Outstanding Achievement Award by Institute of Chemical Engineering (IChemE) 2023 Global Awards.  

Ultrasound wave has been used to transfer DNA into bacteria, opening a new approach to introduce genetic information to bacteria in natural water, soils and wastewater (Nucleic Acids Res. 2007, Microb Biotech 2021). Since ultrasound can be scaled up, the technology can be used in the industry to control genetic functions of microbial community, including uncultured bacteria.