Olivier Borkowski

Catalyst optimization through synthetic Darwinian evolution - Nature Catalysis A study demonstrates that fully synthetic molecules can undergo self-replication, mutation and selection — hallmarks of Darwinian evolution — without relying on DNA or proteins.

Catalyst optimization through synthetic Darwinian evolution
doi.org/10.1038/s419...

Chromoproteins: visible tools for advancing synthetic biology
doi.org/10.1016/j.ti...

Resource allocation models: theory and applications in microbial biotechnology
doi.org/10.1016/j.co...

Paradoxical gene regulation explained by competition for genomic sites
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

The initial lineup of keynotes and spotlight talks is finalised, with 10 contributed talks still up for grabs! Come join us in Bristol on 15-16 Jan 2026 for AI, Engineering Biology and Beyond to shape the future of these fields🤖🧬🦠Register now at: aiebab.github.io

I am very excited to announce that a fully funded PhD position is available in my group.

Topic: Synergistic coevolution in mono-specific and multi-species microbial consortia

Please RT or forward this information to interested candidates.

Deadline: 11.01.26

More info:

shorturl.at/f1TuF

Artificial cells with liquid–liquid phase separation–regulated cell-free protein synthesis
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

YouTube video by Institut Pasteur EDUCATION Discover the Education Center of the Institut Pasteur

🎥 Discover the Institut Pasteur Education Center!

We’re excited to unveil the new presentation video of our Education Center, a space dedicated to training the next generation of scientists, health professionals, and researchers from around the world

➡️ www.pasteur.fr/en/education...

@pasteur.fr

Extrusion- modulated DnaA activity
oscillations coordinate DNA replication
with biomass growth
doi.org/10.7554/eLif...

Light-controlled synthetic communication networks
via paired connexon nanopores
doi.org/10.1038/s414...

Overriding bioprocess perturbations with a cell machine interface for reliable microbial stress-response control https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.21.689713v1

A Scalable Cell-Free Manufacturing Platform for Two-Step Bioproduction of Immunogenic Conjugate Vaccines Rapid and decentralized vaccine production is essential to ensure global preparedness against emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Cell-free gene expression systems, which can be freeze-dried...

A Scalable Cell-Free Manufacturing Platform for Two-Step Bioproduction of Immunogenic Conjugate Vaccines | ACS Synthetic Biology pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

BiosInt: Biosensor-based smart design of pathway dynamic regulation for industrial biomanufacturing https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.17.688676v1

Fecal exfoliome sequencing captures immune dynamics of the healthy and inflamed gut - Nature Biotechnology Profiling host RNA shed in feces reveals disease states in the gut.

Introducing Foli-seq in @natbiotech.nature.com today. Foli-seq can be used to measure gut-derived RNA from fecal matter (signals of immune, secretory & epithelial cells). We used this to map gut inflammation, drug response, and host-microbe interactions. 💩🧬💊🦠
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Exciting Opportunity: Biomolecular Science Fellowship Day The School of Biology at the University of St Andrews is inviting applications from outstanding visionary Research Fellow and Future Leader candidates to attend the Biomolecular Science (BMS) Fello…

📣 Calling all senior microbiology postdocs! The University of St Andrews is inviting applications from outstanding visionary Research Fellow and Future Leader candidates to attend a Biomolecular Science Fellowship Day. Applications due by 12th Dec, see link for full details: tinyurl.com/4n3na8vn

The role of active mRNA–ribosome dynamics and closing constriction in daughter chromosome separation in Escherichia coli
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

How “intelligent” is a slime mold? When it solves mazes, it might not be thinking:it’s obeying physics. Our new paper with
@jordiplam.bsky.social shows how it follows a least action principle,letting physics do the job arxiv.org/pdf/2511.08531
@drmichaellevin.bsky.social @docteur-drey.bsky.social

The Coli Toolkit (CTK): An extension of the modular Yeast Toolkit for use in E. coli https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.09.663901v1

Broad-Host-Range Synthetic Biology: Rethinking Microbial Chassis as a Design Variable
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Beyond the niche - unlocking the full potential of synthetic riboswitches
doi.org/10.1038/s414...

Disentangling Metabolite Detection from Pathway Stress Using Biosensors Genetically encoded biosensors are powerful tools for linking metabolite production to fluorescent outputs, but stresses imposed by engineered pathways can confound their signals. In this study, we developed four fluorescence-based biosensors for inhibitors of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), a therapeutic target for cancer and diabetes, and compared their performance in the presence of heterologous terpenoid pathways, a promising source of new inhibitors. When expressed in Escherichia coli, all four could reliably detect an exogenously supplied PTP1B inhibitor, but only one remained functional alongside terpenoid pathways, where pathway-derived stress reduced overall fluorescence. This sensor, which links PTP1B inhibition to the assembly of a split T7 RNA polymerase, exhibited a high dynamic range with minimal toxicity, a common liability of T7-based circuits. Variants of this sensor with different sensitivities to inhibition and stress allowed us to separate the terpenoid pathways that made PTP1B inhibitors from those that did not. Our findings show how pathway-specific stresses (e.g., terpene synthase expression) can alter biosensor signals as strongly as their target analytes and provide a framework for disentangling these confounding effects in high-throughput screens.

Disentangling Metabolite Detection from Pathway Stress Using Biosensors
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Harnessing Plasmid Crosstalk in Transcription Factor Mediated Cell-Free Biosensors
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

See y’all there!

Tom Fayle (www.tomfayle.com/index.htm) and I have a funded PhD project available on the NERC TREES programme to use synthetic microbial communities and agent-based modelling to explore anthropogenic impacts in ecosystems

www.trees-dla.ac.uk/projects/exp...

Directed evolution and characterisation of light harvesting complexes with altered energy transfer dynamics in purple non-sulfur bacteria Purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB) are metabolically versatile microorganisms that inhabit diverse environments taking advantage of a remarkably efficient photosynthetic machinery. In this work, we des...

Preprint alert!! Delighted to share Eve Nery's work exploring the evolutionary landscape of light-harvesting complexes. She found a new variant shifted to the red that allows purple bacteria to grow faster under high intensity light www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Negative design enables cell-free expression and folding of designed transmembrane β-Barrels
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

I am happy to announce the launch of our seminar series “Microbial Biotechnology: Developing the Conceptual Framework of the DBTL Cycle.” We invite you to join us and engage in shaping the future of biomanufacturing! researchseminars.org/seminar/Micr...

Modeling and minimization of dCas9-induced competition in CRISPRi-based genetic circuits
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

LDBT instead of DBTL: combining machine learning and rapid cell-free testing - Nature Communications Synthetic biology is defined by Design-Build-Test-Learn cycles. Recent advances in machine learning are changing the landscape; thus, we propose that “Learning” can precede “Design”. Moreover, adoptin...

LDBT instead of DBTL: combining machine learning and rapid cell-free testing
doi.org/10.1038/s414...

YouTube video by Build-a-Cell Build-a-Cell seminar Ryan Duncombe: Mirror life: the path forward

Build-a-Cell seminar presented by Ryan Duncombe
Mirror life: the path forward
youtu.be/lYLIywiVwXE?...