Impact
A multidisciplinary research approach is undertaken to develop novel technologies that improve production of bio-based chemicals, fuels and materials with smaller carbon footprint. Non-model organisms belonging to bacteria, fungi and microalgae are being studied with the objective of exploiting them to enhance food security and sustainability for urban cities.
Collaborations, Achievements & Honours
- Lead-PI for National Research Foundation’s Competitive Research Programme (CRP) (2012-2017)
- Lead PI for Single Cell Protein production under the Singapore Food Story’s industry alignment programme (2021-2024)
- Lead PI, Project Coordinator or Co-PI for several industrial collaboration projects, eg, Delta & Pine Land (USA), Wilmar International, Joil, Olam
- Inventor for 15 international patents (4 licensed)
Research Areas
Synthetic Biology and Metabolic Engineering; Utilization of Biomass, Microbial Resource and CO2; Future Food
Affiliations
- Senior Principal Investigator, TLL
Question
How to harness the strong metabolic power of yeast to produce natural, safe and cost competitive food ingredients?
Approach
Established in 2003, Lianghui’s laboratory started translational research on tissue culture and genetic transformation in plants, including cotton, Jatropha and oil palm. This evolved into a industrial biotechnology programme, which focuses on converting Rhodotorula toruloides as a platform for high land-efficiency production system for flavours and fragrances; nutritional and healthcare ingredients as well as single cell proteins and starch. Lianghui believes that synthetic biology revolutionizes the way to produce chemicals and materials that are native to plants, animals and microbes. He strives to make a difference with natural, sustainable production methods via bioprocess engineering, genome evolution and editing. His long-term aim is to create a system where food can be efficiently manufactured by microbial fermentation of CO2-derived feedstock, such as acetic acid, formic acid and ethanol.
Bio
Lianghui received his Bachelor degree in China before joining the China National Rice Research Institute. He did his PhD with Prof. Peter Langridge at the University of Adelaide. He moved to Singapore in 1997 as a research fellow to investigate plant virus interaction. He established his independent lab TLL in 2003. He is currently Senior Principal Investigator and Director of Strategic Research Programme at TLL.
Senior Principal Investigator
Ji Lianghui
Dr Ji Lianghui’s laboratory studies the pathways and regulation for the biosynthesis and metabolism of food ingredients, particularly lipids, carotenoid and proteins. He builds and enhances microbes, particularly red yeast Rhodotorula toruloides, as a platform for food and chemical production.
Group Publications
-
Microbial Utilization of Next-Generation Feedstocks for the Biomanufacturing of Value-Added Chemicals and Food Ingredients
Zhang CQ, Ottenheim C, Weingarten M and Ji L.11 April 2022
-
Plant Growth Promoting Abilities of Novel Burkholderia-Related Genera and Their Interactions With Some Economically Important Tree Species
Madhaiyan M, Selvakumar G, Tan AHH, Cai L, Ji L.7 September 2021
-
Induced Hatching of Quiescent Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Eggs by Labile Glutathione-Stabilizable Compounds From Yeast Extract
Ng SH, Zhang H, Goh FG, Ng L-C, Ji L, and Cai Y.9 October 2020
-
Understanding and exploiting the fatty acid desaturation system in Rhodotorula toruloides
Liu Y, Koh CMJ, Yap SA, Cai L, Ji L.19 March 2021
-
Sphingomonas palmae sp. nov. and Sphingomonas gellani sp. nov., endophytically associated phyllosphere bacteria isolated from economically important crop plants
Madhaiyan M, Saravanan VS, Wirth JS,Tan HHA, Kim S-J, Weon H-Y, Kwon S-W, Whitman WB, Ji L.1 November 2020
-
Chitinasiproducens palmae gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of the family Burkholderiaceae isolated from leaf tissues of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.)
Madhaiyan M, See-Too W-S, Ee R, Saravanan VS, Wirth JS, Tan HHA, Cai L, Kim S-J, Weon H-Y, Kwon S-W, Whitman WB, Ji L.1 April 2020
-
Phytobacter palmae sp. nov., a novel endophytic, N2 fixing, plant growth promoting Gammaproteobacterium isolated from oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.)
Madhaiyan M; Saravanan VS; Blom J; Smits THM; Rezzonico F; Kim S-J; Weon _H-Y; Kwon S-W; Whitman WB; Ji L.1 February 2020
-
Mapping QTL for omega-3 content in hybrid saline tilapia
Lin G, Wang L, Ngoh, ST, Ji LH, Orbán L, Yue GH.9 February 2018
-
Biological Leaching and Chemical Precipitation Methods for Recovery of Co and Li from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries
Biswal BK, Jadhav UU, Madhaiyan M, Ji L, Yang E-H, and Cao B.17 July 2018
-
Site-specific phosphorylation of TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA1 mediates carbon partitioning in Arabidopsis seeds
Li C, Zhang B, Chen B, Ji L, and Yu H.8 February 2018