Beau Dronsella
beaubd.bsky.social
Beau Dronsella
@beaubd.bsky.social
Postdoc in the Erblab working on synthetic carbon fixation
Pinned
Super excited to see my main PhD project finally out in @naturemicrobiol.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41.... We show for the first time that a synthetic and engineered pathway can indeed exceed nature at one-carbon fixation.
One-carbon fixation via the synthetic reductive glycine pathway exceeds yield of the Calvin cycle - Nature Microbiology
An engineered one-carbon-fixation pathway increases biomass yields of Cupriavidus necator compared with the Calvin cycle and can support future, sustainable bio-based production.
www.nature.com
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
Very excited to finally share my PhD paper, about advancing #chloroplast #synbio through high-throughput plastome engineering of #Chlamydomonas.
Huge thanks to the whole team!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
November 3, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
Please check out our improved #preprint:

CRISPR/Cas9 targeted genetic screening in Physcomitrella identifies novel cell division genes

Thank you, Elena Kozgunova for taking the lead.

#Physcomitrella #celldivision

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
CRISPR/Cas9 targeted genetic screening in Physcomitrella identifies novel cell division genes
Although plants share core cell division mechanisms with other eukaryotes, their unique features, such as acentrosomal spindle formation and cytokinesis via the phragmoplast, suggest the existence of ...
www.biorxiv.org
October 30, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
🔥🔥🔥 Friday Evening, Paper Out, Feierabend 🔥🔥🔥

When evolution and enzyme engineering team up, they can convince microbes to assimilate sustainable carbon substrates preparing them for a life in a circular bioeconomy.

doi.org/10.1016/j.ym...
Redirecting
doi.org
October 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
🚀 Thrilled to share our new Nature Communications article:
“A blueprint for designing the next-generation of synthetic C1 microbes”
We propose a framework to unlock sustainable, carbon-efficient biomanufacturing using non-canonical hosts.
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41... A short 🧵1/4
A blueprint for designing the next-generation of synthetic C1 microbes - Nature Communications
Synthetic one-carbon assimilation could contribute to a more sustainable and circular carbon economy, but much work in this field has focused on model microorganisms. Here the authors provide their perspective on the potential value of non-model microbes, and how that potential could be realised.
www.nature.com
October 8, 2025 at 9:10 AM
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
1/ 🚨 New preprint!
We've developed a robust IDMS-based LC-MS/MS workflow for high-throughput intracellular metabolomics in diverse bacteria. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#Metabolomics #MassSpec #SystemsBiology
A Robust Isotope Ratio LC-MS/MS Workflow for High-Throughput Metabolic Profiling of Bacteria
Stable isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) has become a cornerstone of quantitative metabolomics, enabling accurate intracellular metabolite quantification across a range of biological systems. ...
www.biorxiv.org
August 12, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
EMBL is back on hiring faculty! Check out the multiple open positions:

3 PIs- 2 in Heidelberg incl. our Molecular Systems Biology Unit, 1 in Grenoble
1 Head of Unit (Cell Biology & Biophysics, Heidelberg).

Closing deadlines in Sep!
+3 more positions to come out then, stay tuned...
@embl.org
embl.org EMBL @embl.org · Aug 7
We’re looking for curious, innovative science leaders at EMBL Heidelberg! 🔬🧬🦠

Join a vibrant, interdisciplinary community where collaboration and innovation are nurtured at all levels.

Take a look at these four open positions 👇
August 12, 2025 at 5:25 AM
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
Now published in Microbial Biotechnology! enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
July 26, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
#Growth-coupled #selection just got an update ! In the last years, E. coli selection strains for #central , #amino #acid and #energy metabolism intermediates were created by the community. So, we compiled them and revisit the core concepts of growth coupling.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Escherichia coli selection strains for growth-coupled metabolic engineering
Synthetic metabolism has the potential to transform carbon capture, bioremediation, or bioproduction strategies. To transfer metabolic designs from an…
www.sciencedirect.com
July 12, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
Ethylene glycol is widely used as monomer of the plastic PET. It is therefore highly relevant as sustainable feedstock for microbial biotechnology. In our new paper in @natcomms.nature.com, we characterize efficient enzymes for ethylene glycol oxidation: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
July 1, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
🎉 Excited to share that I’ve received an Emerging Investigator Grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation! I’ll start my research group in Jan 2026 to develop universal cell factories for P2X & CO₂-based biomanufacturing 🌱🔬
👉 researchleaderprogramme.com/recipients/e...
June 3, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
Leveraging spectroscopic and structural approaches we obtained new insights into the role of #ferredoxins in N2 fixation. Just published in Chemistry – A European Journal: doi.org/10.1002/chem...! Great work by Holly Addison. Fantastic collaboration with Antonio Pierik on the EPR characterization.
Two Key Ferredoxins for Nitrogen Fixation Have Different Specificities and Biophysical Properties
Two ferredoxins, FdC and FdN, are collectively essential for the process of nitrogen fixation by the iron nitrogenase in R. capsulatus. We explore the biophysical factors, through spectroscopic and s....
doi.org
June 1, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
📢 We are proud and delighted that our Microbes for Climate (M4C) Cluster of Excellence has been selected for the 2025 Excellence Strategy! 🌟Together with @unimarburg.bsky.social, we look forward to exciting #microbe research – stay tuned! @unimarburg.bsky.social @maxplanck.de@synmikro.bsky.social
May 22, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
🎉Doppelerfolg für die #UniMarburg in der Exzellenzstrategie! 🎉 Zwei Cluster zu Klimawandel und menschlicher Wahrnehmung sichern sich Förderung. Marburg beweist Forschungsstärke und Innovationskraft.🚀 @proloewe.bsky.social @synmikro.bsky.social @maxplanck.de @jlugiessen.bsky.social @tuda.bsky.social
Marburg feiert Doppelerfolg in der Exzellenzstrategie
Zwei Cluster erhalten Förderung im wichtigsten deutschen Forschungswettbewerb
www.uni-marburg.de
May 22, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
Really impressive work from Ari and the team - going from an idea all the way to a functional pathway using the latest synbio tools! The CORE cycle is another carbon fixing route that could be used as an alternative to photorespiration in plants. Interested to see where this goes next! 🌱📈
Excited to share a main project from my PhD, out now in
@naturecomms.bsky.social! 📝
We've designed and brought to life the “CORE cycle” – a new-to-nature pathway that provides a novel route for biological CO2 capture 🦠🌱
nature.com/articles/s41...
Take a look! Thread below... 🧵
April 4, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Groundbreaking work just dropped🔥.
@ari-satanowski.bsky.social and Daniel Marchal engineered new-to-nature CO2 reduction at ambient conditions via ATP-driven cycles for CO2->formate in vivo.
All kinds of fancy experiments in here and a real seminal contribution to the field👏. Check it out!
Excited to share a main project from my PhD, out now in
@naturecomms.bsky.social! 📝
We've designed and brought to life the “CORE cycle” – a new-to-nature pathway that provides a novel route for biological CO2 capture 🦠🌱
nature.com/articles/s41...
Take a look! Thread below... 🧵
April 4, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
Excited to share a main project from my PhD, out now in
@naturecomms.bsky.social! 📝
We've designed and brought to life the “CORE cycle” – a new-to-nature pathway that provides a novel route for biological CO2 capture 🦠🌱
nature.com/articles/s41...
Take a look! Thread below... 🧵
April 4, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
An energy-efficient pathway for aerobic production of formate from CO2, the CORE cycle. Could become part of a novel CO2-fixing photorespiration bypass design. Congrats @ari-satanowski.bsky.social
Excited to share a main project from my PhD, out now in
@naturecomms.bsky.social! 📝
We've designed and brought to life the “CORE cycle” – a new-to-nature pathway that provides a novel route for biological CO2 capture 🦠🌱
nature.com/articles/s41...
Take a look! Thread below... 🧵
April 4, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
As well as CO2 Rubisco reacts with O2: plants evolved photorespiration to deal with the consequences. It works, but synthetic biology can do better! 🔄 We used metabolic modeling to compare alternative pathways to boost crop yields 🌱 🧵 #ScienceAdvancesResearch
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Alternatives to photorespiration: A system-level analysis reveals mechanisms of enhanced plant productivity
Computational modeling reveals how engineering plants with alternative pathways to photorespiration could boost crop yields.
www.science.org
April 2, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
"We show that carbon-fixing APs are the most promising candidates to replace native photorespiration in major crop species."

Alternatives to photorespiration: A system-level analysis reveals mechanisms of enhanced plant productivity | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Alternatives to photorespiration: A system-level analysis reveals mechanisms of enhanced plant productivity
Computational modeling reveals how engineering plants with alternative pathways to photorespiration could boost crop yields.
www.science.org
March 29, 2025 at 7:22 AM
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
📢 Preprint alert! In this study we provide new genomic insights into #CupriavidusNecator for #C1Biomanufacturing:
- Genome assemblies for more strains
- Species definition refined
- Traits & methylation systems explored
Great job by @magnusgj.bsky.social and team

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Comparative genomic assessment of the Cupriavidus necator species for one-carbon based biomanufacturing
The transition from a petroleum-based manufacturing to biomanufacturing is an important step towards a sustainable bio-economy. In particular biotechnological processes which use one carbon (C1) compo...
www.biorxiv.org
March 27, 2025 at 11:04 AM
🚨Check out this amwesome new CRISPR tool for highly efficient genome engineering in C. necator led by @dellavallesimo.bsky.social and @eorsi.bsky.social 🔥🔥🔥
March 14, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Reposted by Beau Dronsella
We are announcing about 30 PhD positions in the @fwf-at.bsky.social Cluster of Excellence Circular Bioengineering www.circularbioengineering.at/jobs
9 projects open in Progamme 2 (Self-Sustainable Microbial Systems) in 4 Austrian Universities
March 10, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Check out Sebastians crazy effort to engineer E. coli to grow on formate via the synthetic Serine-Threonine-Cycle. In contrast to the rGlyp the STC works even at ambient CO2!🔥
Interested in Sustainability, Metabolic Engineering and Evolution?
Check out how we convinced E. coli to grow on the CO2-derived substrate formic acid using the synthetic Serine Threonine Cycle! ♻️🌱🦠

OPEN ACCESS publication to be found here:
🚨 doi.org/10.1016/j.ym... 🚨

#MEvoSky #microsky

(1/🧵)
March 6, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Check out this amazing work on engineering, characterizing and using six novel glyoxylate sensor strains led by @eorsi.bsky.social and @helenasm.bsky.social 🔥🎊🥳
Read Helenas nice post below to get the full picture.
March 4, 2025 at 6:11 PM