PhD Dissertation Defense: Shayan Borhani
Format: In-Person Presentation (with virtual option)
Shayan Borhani, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Ph.D. Candidate
Advisor:
Dr. Govind Rao
TITLE:
ABSTRACT:
The modular nature of Cell-Free Protein Synthesis (CFPS) has resulted in a paradigm shift in the way scientists can design, discover, and manufacture therapeutic proteins. This dissertation reports on three advances made in point-of-care (POC) manufacturing of therapeutics by using a CFPS systems to address current challenges around pandemic preparedness and future therapeutic shortages. First, the utility of both a prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell-free systems (CFS) was exploited to synthesize human proinsulin to assess the extent of post translational modification and product quality achieved by each. Second, a “on-column” purification approach was developed for post-translational conversion of proinsulin into mature human insulin using a specialized set of proteases. Third, a technoeconomic model was utilized to access the cost effectiveness of cell-free manufacturing of insulin in comparison to the current state of the art. A less complex protein target, Griffithsin (GRFT), was also tested using similar approaches.
