Associate Professor, Department of Biological Systems Engineering
Program Focus
My research program develops novel experimental and computational approaches related to (i) metabolic engineering of microbes (ii) biocatalysis and cell-free enzymatic conversions, (iii) real-time physiological and environmental monitoring, and (iv) bodily fluid and tissue analysis by Raman spectroscopy.
We have developed novel techniques in genome-scale metabolic flux modeling to derive metabolic engineering strategies for production of valuable chemicals, therapeutics, and biofuels by microbes, plants, and cell-free biological extracts.
We are also innovators in using Raman spectroscopy and surface-enhanced Raman scattering to (i) monitor physiological changes of cells, tissues, and organs in real-time and (ii) detect the presence of disease.
Current Projects
- Design of small RNA molecules as synthetic regulatory circuits in microbes
- Thermodynamics of DNA assembly and design of protein expression systems
- Regeneration of NAD(P)H reducing power through in vitro biocatalysis
- Detection and staging of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and bladder cancer with Raman spectroscopy
- Real-time monitoring of dialysis therapies with Raman spectroscopy
- Whole cell biosensors to detect environmental contaminants
Selected Publications
(* Denotes a student in my laboratory)
Senger, R.S., Scherr*, D. (2020) Resolving complex phenotypes with Raman spectroscopy and chemometrics. Current Opinion in Biotechnology. In press.
Wang, Z., Lee, Y-Y., Scherr*, D., Senger, R.S., Li, Y., He, Z. (2020) Mitigating nutrient accumulation with microalgal growth towards enhanced nutrient removal and biomass production in an osmotic photobioreactor. Water Research. 182:116038. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.waters.2020.116038.
Huttanus*, H.M., Senger, R.S. (2020) A synthetic biosensor to detect peroxisomal acetyl-CoA concentration for compartmentalized metabolic engineering. PeerJ. 8:e9805. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9805.
Huttanus*, H.M., Vu*, T., Guruli, G., Tracey, A., Carswell*, W., Said, N., Du, P., Parkinson, B.G., Orlando, G., Robertson, J.L., Senger, R.S. (2020) Ramen chemometric urinalysis (Rametrix) as a screen for bladder cancer. PLOS One. 15(8): e0237070. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237070.
Wilson*, N., Sheng, J., McMaster, N., Feng, X., Senger, R.S., Schmale, D.G. (2020) Modification of the trichothecene mycotoxin deoxynivalenol using a cell free protein synthesis system. Bioengineering. In Press.