Episode 5 – Simmering Science: Engineering Bacteria for Membrane Protein Production

In this episode of What is a Membrane?, host Dr Matt Derry sits down with Dr Doug Browning to explore how harmless strains of E. coli are being genetically engineered to supercharge membrane protein production.

Membrane proteins play a vital role in biology and are the targets of top-selling medicines and major vaccines — from COVID-19 to hepatitis B. But producing them in large amounts has always been a scientific challenge, thanks to stress responses that shut down the process in bacteria.

Dr Browning shares how his team is redesigning E. coli to better handle these stresses, using a clever analogy: cooking rice in a rice cooker rather than on a stove. The goal? A smart system that avoids the biological equivalent of a boil-over.

This work is part of a £1.8m project funded by UKRI’s Engineering Biology Mission Award, in collaboration with the University of Warwick and Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence (AIME).

Tune in to learn how this innovative research could pave the way for next-generation drug development and vaccine creation.