![Dr Birgitta Ebert](/sites/default/files/profiles/24166.jpeg)
Overview
Background
Birgitta Ebert’s research focuses on developing biotechnology concepts to address critical challenges such as pollution, climate change and overexploitation of natural resources.
She specializes in improving microbial catalysts for eco-friendly chemical and material production by leveraging metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, systems analysis, and modelling. Her goal is to create microbial cell factories that convert renewable resources and waste into valuable products, reducing reliance on petrochemicals. She collaborates closely with chemists and chemical engineers to enhance the integration of chemical and biological processes for improved efficiency and sustainability.
Birgitta has a background in Chemical Engineering and a PhD in Systems Biotechnology from TU Dortmund University (Germany). She led a research group in Systems Metabolic Engineering at the Institute of Applied Microbiology at RWTH Aachen University (Germany) from 2012 to 2019. In 2016, she expanded her expertise in Synthetic Biology by joining the Keasling lab at the University of California in Berkeley and the Joint BioEnergy Institute in Emeryville (USA).
Since April 2019, she has been at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at the University of Queensland, applying her expertise to engineer microbial cell factories for fermentation-based manufacturing.
Availability
- Dr Birgitta Ebert is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, TU Dortmund University
Research interests
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Microbial Biotechnology
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Synthetic Biology
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Systems Metabolic Engineering
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Bioeconomy
Works
Search Professor Birgitta Ebert’s works on UQ eSpace
2024
Journal Article
Methyl ketones: a comprehensive study of a novel biofuel
Gruetering, Carolin, Honecker, Christian, Hofmeister, Marius, Neumann, Marcel, Rasspe-Lange, Lukas, Du, Miaomiao, Lehrheuer, Bastian, von Campenhausen, Maximilian, Schuster, Franziska, Surger, Maximilian, Ebert, Birgitta E., Jupke, Andreas, Tiso, Till, Leonhard, Kai, Schmitz, Katharina, Pischinger, Stefan and Blank, Lars M. (2024). Methyl ketones: a comprehensive study of a novel biofuel. Sustainable Energy & Fuels, 8 (9), 2059-2072. doi: 10.1039/d4se00035h
2024
Journal Article
Synthetically-primed adaptation of Pseudomonas putida to a non-native substrate D-xylose
Dvořák, Pavel, Burýšková, Barbora, Popelářová, Barbora, Ebert, Birgitta E., Botka, Tibor, Bujdoš, Dalimil, Sánchez-Pascuala, Alberto, Schöttler, Hannah, Hayen, Heiko, de Lorenzo, Víctor, Blank, Lars M. and Benešík, Martin (2024). Synthetically-primed adaptation of Pseudomonas putida to a non-native substrate D-xylose. Nature Communications, 15 (1) 2666, 1-18. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-46812-9
2023
Journal Article
Expanding Pseudomonas taiwanensis VLB120's acyl‐CoA portfolio: propionate production in mineral salt medium
Neves, Dário, Meinen, Daniel, Alter, Tobias B., Blank, Lars M. and Ebert, Birgitta E. (2023). Expanding Pseudomonas taiwanensis VLB120's acyl‐CoA portfolio: propionate production in mineral salt medium. Microbial Biotechnology, 17 (1) e14309, e14309. doi: 10.1111/1751-7915.14309
2023
Journal Article
Cross-species synthetic promoter library: finding common ground between Pseudomonas taiwanensis VLB120 and Escherichia coli
Neves, Dário, Liebal, Ulf W., Nies, Salome C., Alter, Tobias B., Pitzler, Christian, Blank, Lars M. and Ebert, Birgitta E. (2023). Cross-species synthetic promoter library: finding common ground between Pseudomonas taiwanensis VLB120 and Escherichia coli. ACS Synthetic Biology, 12 (7), 2029-2040. doi: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00084
2023
Journal Article
Correction to “Engineering Critical Amino Acid Residues of Lanosterol Synthase to Improve the Production of Triterpenoids in <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>”
Guo, Hao, Wang, Huiyan, Chen, Tongtong, Guo, Liwei, Blank, Lars M., Ebert, Birgitta E. and Huo, Yi-Xin (2023). Correction to “Engineering Critical Amino Acid Residues of Lanosterol Synthase to Improve the Production of Triterpenoids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae”. ACS Synthetic Biology, 12 (4), 1377-1377. doi: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00142
2023
Journal Article
Non-invasive monitoring of microbial triterpenoid production using nonlinear microscopy techniques
Dianat, Mariam, Münchberg, Ute, Blank, Lars M., Freier, Erik and Ebert, Birgitta E. (2023). Non-invasive monitoring of microbial triterpenoid production using nonlinear microscopy techniques. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 11 1106566, 1-12. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1106566
2023
Journal Article
Current metabolic engineering strategies for photosynthetic bioproduction in cyanobacteria
Satta, Alessandro, Esquirol, Lygie and Ebert, Birgitta E. (2023). Current metabolic engineering strategies for photosynthetic bioproduction in cyanobacteria. Microorganisms, 11 (2) 455. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11020455
2022
Journal Article
Molecular characterization of cyanobacterial short‐chain prenyltransferases and discovery of a novel GGPP phosphatase
Satta, Alessandro, Esquirol, Lygie, Ebert, Birgitta E., Newman, Janet, Peat, Thomas S., Plan, Manuel, Schenk, Gerhard and Vickers, Claudia E. (2022). Molecular characterization of cyanobacterial short‐chain prenyltransferases and discovery of a novel GGPP phosphatase. The FEBS Journal, 289 (21), 6672-6693. doi: 10.1111/febs.16556
2022
Journal Article
Ancestral sequence reconstruction of the CYP711 family reveals functional divergence in strigolactone biosynthetic enzymes associated with gene duplication events in monocot grasses
Vinde, Marcos H., Cao, Da, Chesterfield, Rebecca J., Yoneyama, Kaori, Gumulya, Yosephine, Thomson, Raine E. S., Matila, Tebogo, Ebert, Birgitta E., Beveridge, Christine A., Vickers, Claudia E. and Gillam, Elizabeth M. J. (2022). Ancestral sequence reconstruction of the CYP711 family reveals functional divergence in strigolactone biosynthetic enzymes associated with gene duplication events in monocot grasses. New Phytologist, 235 (5), 1900-1912. doi: 10.1111/nph.18285
2022
Journal Article
Engineering critical amino acid residues of lanosterol synthase to improve the production of triterpenoids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Guo, Hao, Wang, Huiyang, Chen, Tongtong, Guo, Liwei, Blank, Lars M., Ebert, Birgitta E. and Huo, Yi-Xin (2022). Engineering critical amino acid residues of lanosterol synthase to improve the production of triterpenoids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. ACS Synthetic Biology, 11 (8), 2685-2696. doi: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00098
2022
Journal Article
Mix and match: promoters and terminators for tuning gene expression in the methylotrophic yeast Ogataea polymorpha
Wefelmeier, Katrin, Ebert, Birgitta E., Blank, Lars M. and Schmitz, Simone (2022). Mix and match: promoters and terminators for tuning gene expression in the methylotrophic yeast Ogataea polymorpha. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 10 876316, 1-14. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.876316
2022
Book Chapter
Microbial production, extraction, and quantitative analysis of isoprenoids
Satta, Alessandro, Lu, Zeyu, Plan, Manuel R., Esquirol, Lygie and Ebert, Birgitta E. (2022). Microbial production, extraction, and quantitative analysis of isoprenoids. Plant Secondary Metabolism Engineering: methods and protocols.. (pp. 239-259) New York, NY, United States: Humana Press. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2185-1_20
2021
Journal Article
Genome-scale model reconstruction of the methylotrophic yeast Ogataea polymorpha
Liebal, Ulf W., Fabry, Brigida A., Ravikrishnan, Aarthi, Schedel, Constantin V. l., Schmitz, Simone, Blank, Lars M. and Ebert, Birgitta E. (2021). Genome-scale model reconstruction of the methylotrophic yeast Ogataea polymorpha. BMC Biotechnology, 21 (1) 23, 23. doi: 10.1186/s12896-021-00675-w
2021
Journal Article
Auxin-mediated protein depletion for metabolic engineering in terpene-producing yeast
Lu, Zeyu, Peng, Bingyin, Ebert, Birgitta E., Dumsday, Geoff and Vickers, Claudia E. (2021). Auxin-mediated protein depletion for metabolic engineering in terpene-producing yeast. Nature Communications, 12 (1) 1051, 1051. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-21313-1
2021
Journal Article
Auxin‐mediated induction of GAL promoters by conditional degradation of Mig1p improves sesquiterpene production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with engineered acetyl‐CoA synthesis
Hayat, Irfan Farabi, Plan, Manuel, Ebert, Birgitta E., Dumsday, Geoff, Vickers, Claudia E. and Peng, Bingyin (2021). Auxin‐mediated induction of GAL promoters by conditional degradation of Mig1p improves sesquiterpene production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with engineered acetyl‐CoA synthesis. Microbial Biotechnology, 14 (6) 1751-7915.13880, 1-16. doi: 10.1111/1751-7915.13880
2021
Journal Article
Proteome regulation patterns determine Escherichia coli wild-type and mutant phenotypes
Alter, Tobias B., Blank, Lars M. and Ebert, Birgitta E. (2021). Proteome regulation patterns determine Escherichia coli wild-type and mutant phenotypes. mSystems, 6 (2) e00625-20. doi: 10.1128/msystems.00625-20
2021
Journal Article
Corrigendum: Multi-Omics Analysis of Fatty Alcohol Production in Engineered Yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Yarrowia lipolytica (Front Genet, (2019), 10, (747), 10.3389/fgene.2019.00747)
Dahlin, Jonathan, Holkenbrink, Carina, Marella, Eko Roy, Wang, Guokun, Liebal, Ulf, Lieven, Christian, Weber, Dieter, McCloskey, Douglas, Wang, Hong-Lei, Ebert, Birgitta E., Herrgård, Markus J., Blank, Lars Mathias and Borodina, Irina (2021). Corrigendum: Multi-Omics Analysis of Fatty Alcohol Production in Engineered Yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Yarrowia lipolytica (Front Genet, (2019), 10, (747), 10.3389/fgene.2019.00747). Frontiers in Genetics, 11 637738, 1-2. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2020.637738
2020
Journal Article
High titer methyl ketone production with tailored Pseudomonas taiwanensis VLB120
Nies, Salome C., Alter, Tobias B., Nölting, Sophia, Thiery, Susanne, Phan, An N.T., Drummen, Noud, Keasling, Jay D., Blank, Lars M. and Ebert, Birgitta E. (2020). High titer methyl ketone production with tailored Pseudomonas taiwanensis VLB120. Metabolic Engineering, 62, 84-94. doi: 10.1016/j.ymben.2020.08.003
2020
Journal Article
A systems analysis of NADH dehydrogenase mutants reveals flexibility and limits of Pseudomonas taiwanensis VLB120's metabolism
Nies, Salome C., Dinger, Robert, Chen, Yan, Wordofa, Gossa G., Kristensen, Mette, Schneider, Konstantin, Büchs, Jochen, Petzold, Christopher J., Keasling, Jay D., Blank, Lars M. and Ebert, Birgitta E. (2020). A systems analysis of NADH dehydrogenase mutants reveals flexibility and limits of Pseudomonas taiwanensis VLB120's metabolism. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 86 (11) 3819. doi: 10.1128/aem.03038-19
2020
Journal Article
Publisher Correction: MEMOTE for standardized genome-scale metabolic model testing
Lieven, Christian, Beber, Moritz E., Olivier, Brett G., Bergmann, Frank T., Ataman, Meric, Babaei, Parizad, Bartell, Jennifer A., Blank, Lars M., Chauhan, Siddharth, Correia, Kevin, Diener, Christian, Dräger, Andreas, Ebert, Birgitta E., Edirisinghe, Janaka N., Faria, José P., Feist, Adam M., Fengos, Georgios, Fleming, Ronan M. T., García-Jiménez, Beatriz, Hatzimanikatis, Vassily, van Helvoirt, Wout, Henry, Christopher S., Hermjakob, Henning, Herrgård, Markus J., Kaafarani, Ali, Kim, Hyun Uk, King, Zachary, Klamt, Steffen, Klipp, Edda ... Zhang, Cheng (2020). Publisher Correction: MEMOTE for standardized genome-scale metabolic model testing. Nature Biotechnology, 38 (4), 504-504. doi: 10.1038/s41587-020-0477-4
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Birgitta Ebert is:
- Available for supervision
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Available projects
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Microbial fatty acid derivative production from CO2-derived intermediates
This project uses synthetic biology to develop microbial fermentation for producing fatty acid derivatives from CO2-derived acetate/ethanol. Target molecules include methyl ketones for aviation fuel, plasticizers, and monomers, addressing critical gaps in renewable chemical production for a sustainable industry.
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Brewing natural products with yeast
The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used in fermentation to produce wine, beer, and bioethanol. However, this well-researched microbe can also be efficiently engineered for the production of complex natural products. Well-known examples are the anti-malaria drug artemisinin are the ant-cancer drug paclitaxel.
In this project, we are interested in the production of triterpenoids, the largest group in the natural product class. Many of these molecules have biological activities that make them promising candidates for pharma, nutraceutical, or cosme(ceu)tical applications.
We have engineered a superior S. cerevisiae platform strain capable of the synthesis of diverse triterpenoids at the gram-scale level. In this project, we aim to expand the product spectrum to alpha-amyrin type triterpenoids with anti-ageing and anti-obesity properties that are used are investigated for use in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
You will recombinantly express plant enzymes in the yeast chassis to enable the production of a few target products. You will further address a major bottleneck in the production of triterpenoids, the intracellular accumulation of the products, which results in cell toxification and low production efficiency. We are following alternative and complementary approaches including the expression of recently identified transporter, in situ extraction and optimization of the intracellular product trafficking route.
You will gain in-depth knowledge on the metabolism of S. cerevisiae and practical skills in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology including, molecular biology, omics analyses, microscopy, fermentation, and analytics.
Honours and (under)graduate students are welcomed to work on specific subprojects.
Please contact me for further information.
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Vaccine adjuvant production in tailored yeast
Modern protein-based vaccines require adjuvants to improve immunogenicity and hence efficacy. The natural product class of triterpenoids includes molecules that have been shown to be very potent vaccine adjuvants. From these candidates, squalene and Quillaja saponins have been approved for their use in vaccines against flu, shingles and malaria. And many more triterpenoid-adjuvanted vaccines are in the pipeline.
These molecules are currently sourced from animal and plant-derived sources. Squalene is found in high abundance in the liver oil from (deep-sea) sharks and currently the only approved source for medical applications. The Quillaja saponins contained in QS-21 adjuvants are only produced by specific trees in limited regions in South America. Both species, sharks and Quillaja saponaria, are threatened by overexploitation. With the increasing demand for potent vaccines, this is expected to increase.
In this project, we are working on the biotechnological production of these compounds with engineered Baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We can produce squalene and QS-21 precursors at the gram-scale level, which is the current state of the art.
Within this larger project, two HDR projects are available focusing on (a) improving squalene production and secretion of the intracellular storage molecule into the fermentation medium, and (b) implementing the complex QS-21 biosynthesis pathways in the yeast chassis.
Honours and (under)graduate students are welcomed to work on specific subprojects.
You will gain in-depth knowledge on the metabolism of S. cerevisiae and practical skills in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology including, molecular biology, omics analyses, microbiological work, fermentation, and analytics.
Please contact me for further information.
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Redox engineering for carbon-efficient biotechnological processes
Redox cofactors play a central role in the metabolism of living organisms. The most widely used cofactor is NAD(P)H. In the central carbon metabolism, the oxidised form NAD(P)+ is the primary acceptor for electrons from carbon oxidation. These electrons are then fed into the electron transfer chain, powering the respiratory system for ATP and thus energy generation. Although efficient, this system leads to CO2 formation via the oxidation of carbon metabolites and, hence, to CO2 emissions during biotechnological processes. In this project, we investigate alternative systems for NADH regeneration with electrons from sustainable energy sources, ultimately decoupling energy and carbon metabolism. Our focus lies hereby on hydrogenases. These enzymes use electrons from hydrogen to generate NADH instead of carbon metabolites, while hydrogen can be produced solely from water and electrons from renewable energy sources. Implementing efficient hydrogenase-based NADH regeneration systems in vivo should lead to more carbon-efficient and sustainable biotechnological processes for a greener bio-based future.
We’re looking for a motivated student interested in carbon-efficient biological processes. The project offers options for working in molecular biology, bioprocess development, and robotics. Please get in touch with me for further information.
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Subcellular compartment engineering for improved biocatalytic performance of yeasts.
Research in the Eberg group is developing biotechnological production of valuable plant natural products in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an established biotechnological workhorse. We are specifically interested in triterpenoids, plant natural products that find applications as high-intensity sweeteners, vaccine adjuvants or cosmetic ingredients and are heavily researched as novel drugs against cancer and other diseases. Our research is driven by the risk of overexploitation of rare plants for product extractions and a need to produce these valuable compounds at higher quantities with efficient and sustainable processes.
Several student projects are available addressing the limitations of establishing triterpenoid production in S. cerevisiae.
1. Enhancement of ER proliferation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
The project's primary objective is to enhance the amount of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae through metabolic engineering. Triterpenoid synthesis is catalysed by ER membrane-bound enzymes, and our research showed that ER membrane availability limits their production. Building on these initial results, this project shall investigate optimal ER membrane proliferation to maximise productivity.
Genes identified to affect ER proliferation shall be overexpressed or deleted in the yeast engineered for triterpenoid production. This project will expose the student to various molecular biology methods, including plasmid construction, yeast transformation, and CRISPR-Cas9 for gene deletions and insertions. To visualise the ER, fluorescent protein-tagged ER transmembrane protein will be expressed in engineered yeasts. Flow cytometry analysis and confocal microscopy will be employed to compare the ER size of engineered yeast strains and their reference, and the impact of ER size on triterpenoid production will be investigated.
2. Interaction between ER size and broader metabolism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Previous studies, which increased ER proliferation to boost triterpenoid production, indicate the manifestation of broader metabolic and phenotypic changes in the engineered yeast strains. To investigate the impact of organelle morphology on cellular biosynthetic pathways, this project will apply proteomics and transcriptomics analysis of strains with diverse ER and cellular phenotypes. The generated comprehensive omics dataset will then be analysed with computational methods to understand better the potential relationship between metabolic pathways and ER membrane proliferation in yeast. These analyses shall also identify innovative, novel engineering targets to augment ER proliferation and triterpenoid production.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Bioengineered lignin conversion into high-performance fibre monomers
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Muxina Konarova
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Doctor Philosophy
Co-assimilation of C1 compounds (methanol, formate, formaldehyde) and components from lignocellulosic feedstock
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Esteban Marcellin
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Doctor Philosophy
Exploiting plant biosynthesis to produce vaccine adjuvants
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor James De Voss
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Doctor Philosophy
Engineering Saccharomyces cerevisiae for triterpenoid production
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor James De Voss
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Doctor Philosophy
Development of efficient methods for conversion of plastic waste into high value carbon fibres
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Muxina Konarova, Ms Ping Chen
Completed supervision
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Novel terpene based agrochemicals: Exploring cytochromes P450 mediated diversification of the strigolactone structure
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Elizabeth Gillam
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding terpenoid metabolism in cyanobacteria
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Gary Schenk
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Birgitta Ebert directly for media enquiries about:
- Bioeconomy
- Industrial Biotechnology
- Metabolic Engineering
- Synthetic Biology
- Systems Biotechnology
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