A 3D rendering of a large, white protein complex bound to a purple strand of guide RNA, which is aligned with a blue double-helix DNA strand. The background is a soft gray with scattered, blurred molecular shapes.
Subtle edits yield big results in microbes
A three-leaf plant microbe on a grid slide with three gold circles to the bottom left
Microbes at the root of resilient energy crops

Biodesign and Systems Biology

Advancing biodesign for biotechnology innovation, energy, and environmental solutions

Scientists working in the Biodesign and Systems Biology section at Oak Ridge National Laboratory aim to uncover the fundamental mechanisms that shape biological responses—and use this knowledge to design solutions that enhance plant performance, optimize microbial interactions, and improve bioengineering processes. 

The team characterizes the intricate network of genes, proteins, metabolites, and environmental signals that lead to improved plant traits and performance. By studying how these components interact, scientists develop strategies to enhance crop resilience, productivity, and adaptability with the aim of strengthening domestic energy security.

Researchers integrate cellular, molecular, and genomic approaches to study microbial communities and their interactions with hosts and the surrounding environment. Understanding these complex relationships allows the team to harness microbes for beneficial applications, such as improving soil health, advancing biofuel production, and addressing environmental contaminants.

Another major emphasis of the research is on biosystems design, where researchers develop and apply innovative principles to engineer biological systems with precision in non-model organisms, biofuels crops and associated biosystems. By employing both rational and automated design strategies, the team is creating new tools and methodologies to accelerate biotechnology advancements to solve pressing energy and environmental challenges.

We’re working from the organism to the ecosystem level to pioneer approaches that not only deepen our understanding of biological complexity but also translate scientific discoveries into real-world applications that benefit energy production, the environment, and the bioeconomy.

- Tim Tschaplinski
close up shot of freshwater microalgae Chlorella vulgaris

Integrative Microbiomics

Investigating molecular mechanisms at genomic and biochemical levels to understand how microbial communities and individual species adapt to and interact with each other and with the environment 

 

A graphical representation about a gene in a poplar tree. There is a close up of a tree to the right and the far left-top corner. There is a strand of DNA going down the middle of the image with an ant and two small circles showing the organisms inside the DNA

Plant Systems Biology

Exploring the network of genes, proteins, metabolites, and environmental signals that lead to improved plant characteristics and performance, focusing on the underlying molecular genetics, physiological processes, and mechanisms influencing plant-microbe interactions and bioenergy feedstock productivity

 

CRISPR

Synthetic Biology

Identifying the function of key genes and leveraging that knowledge to engineer plants, bacteria, and fungi for applications such as biochemical conversion of plants into fuels, upcycling of plastics into higher-value chemicals, breaking down toxins in the environment, and creating hardier, more disease- and drought-resistant plants

Integrative Microbiomics Plant Systems Biology Synthetic Biology