(CNA) On May 10, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) held a press conference to introduce the situation of the 14th Five-Year Plan for the development of bio-economy. In response to the new technological achievements in the biological field, such as carbon dioxide synthesis of starch and artificial protein synthesis, Xu Hang, deputy director of the Science and Technology Promotion and Development Bureau of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that we have been thinking about and summarizing the experience behind their success, and promoting and organizing the next technological research. The breakthrough of carbon dioxide artificial synthesis of starch is exciting, but it is still relatively far away from industrial application and still faces huge challenges of scientific and engineering problems.

Xu Hang said, first of all, we recognize that original and leading basic research is the cornerstone of technological innovation in the biological field, and is also the core driver of industrial development. Taking CO2 artificial synthesis of starch as an example, it is through the in-depth research of chemical catalysis and biocatalysis module, innovative biological process technology of high-density energy and high concentration of CO2 utilization, thus designing a new way of unnatural CO2 fixation and artificial synthesis of starch, and realizing the total synthesis from CO2 to starch molecule for the first time in the laboratory.

Xu Hang introduced, life sciences and biotechnology are undergoing a paradigm shift in research, artificial intelligence and big data, cross-fertilization of disciplines and other powerful drivers of life sciences research and biotechnology innovation, will certainly have a significant impact on the future of knowledge innovation and technological breakthroughs. How to accelerate the process of basic research, technological innovation and industrial progress under the new development trend is a hot topic of common concern for scientists and even the whole society.

Xu Hang also said that the breakthrough of CO2 artificial synthesis of starch is exciting, but it is still far from industrial application and still faces huge scientific and engineering challenges.

Xu Hang believes that from the perspective of accelerating technological innovation and promoting the results to industrial applications, it is still necessary to further strengthen the layout of basic research, continuously improve the synthesis efficiency and reduce production costs. For example, we should further strengthen the research on basic scientific issues such as the law of energy conversion behind starch artificial synthesis, the mechanism of chemical bond bioactivation and bond formation, and explore the way of coupling light, electricity, chemical energy and other forms of energy with starch synthesis; apply machine learning and rational design to the study of enzyme molecular evolution to greatly enhance the enzyme activity in the starch artificial synthesis pathway; and explore new technical principles of starch artificial synthesis. The systematic layout of multi-technology routes will be carried out.

In addition, Xu Hang also said that the top-level design should be further strengthened, combined with the three-year action plan of science and technology system reform, exploring a new type of national system, giving full play to the establishment advantage of CAS as a strategic science and technology force, innovating the organization model of scientific research in major scientific and technological tasks and resource collaboration, and promoting cross-fertilization of disciplines. By forming young R&D teams with professional backgrounds spanning chemical catalysis, computational biology, biological science, molecular biology, enzyme engineering, metabolic engineering, fermentation engineering and other cross-disciplines, the foundation of talents is consolidated for the continuous research of synthetic starch; at the same time, the construction of platform conditions and research bases is strengthened to provide key guarantees for giving full play to the disciplinary advantages and technical characteristics of each member. In order to promote the organic integration and efficient synergy of scientific research forces, we will focus our efforts on overcoming difficulties and promoting the industrialization of synthetic starch. (End)

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