Genome Engineering and Editing

The research group Genome Engineering and Editing, headed by Jun.-Prof. Dr. Johann E. Kufs, deals with the application of molecular biological, chemical and process engineering approaches for the discovery and production of natural substances with therapeutic potential. Our research comprises three main areas: i) development of CRISPR activation based strategies for targeted activation of biosynthetic pathways in various microbial host systems, ii) discovery and characterization of new secondary metabolites, and iii) heterologous production of pharmaceutically relevant substances using metabolic engineering of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum. Our central goal is the development of sustainable microbial processes for the production of active substances.