For the first time, Mi-Hy brings together Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) technology and hydroponics, thereby introducing a prosthetic rhizosphere (an extended rhizosphere community) to the typically “soil-less” configuration of hydroponics systems. The Mi-Hy system will modulate nitrogen forms, plant root microbiomes optimise nitrogen uptake, and mobilise phosphorous, averting the need for chemical fertilisers. This circular, sustainable platform turns carbon into biomass and reclaims nitrogen from wastewater streams. Linked through shared microbiomes, the bioelectricity generating Bioelectrochemical System (BES) Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) platform is: i) optimised to generate electricity from wastewater at 1mW/1mL feedstock (setting a new benchmark for MFCs); ii) driving wavelength-specific LEDs to optimize photosynthesis; iii) capable of recovering useful biomolecules using adjacent MFCs to modulate the redox potential of a workhorse Microbial Electrolysis Cell (MEC) performing microbial electro synthesis (MES). This novel development brings together MFCs & MECs. Since these share common microbial constituents, they can be technologically combined without the need for external, (fossil-fuel based) energy sources. To achieve this goal, Mi-Hy aims to design biofilms using metabolic engineering in wild type symbiotic strains. This next-generation hydroponics system has near-future applications in agriculture and in the urban environment. It delivers a smart, decentralized, low power digital infrastructure with sustainable organic solutions, which are in line with the ambitions of the Missions Cities & Climate adaptation (urban agriculture, precision gardening, wastewater treatments, energy generation, synthesis of high value compounds e.g., vitamins). Mi-Hy will also invite designers and stakeholders from various sectors to co-create future applications. Ultimately, it anticipates and facilitates a healthier, sustainable, nature-based urban landscape.

Mycoplasmas are the smallest cell wall less, free-living microorganisms. The lack of a cell wall makes them resistant to many of the common antibiotics. Every year, infections caused by Mycoplasmas in poultry, cows, and pigs, result in multimillion euros losses in USA and Europe. Currently, there are vaccines against M hyopneumoniae in pigs and M gallisepticum and M synoviae in poultry. However, there is no vaccination against many Mycoplasma species infecting pets, humans and farm animals (ie M bovis cow infection). Mycoplasma species in many cases are difficult to grown in axenic culture and those that grow need a complex media with animal serum. In large scale production of Mycoplasma species for vaccination aside from the high cost of animal serum, more important is the high irreproducibility in the production process and the possible contamination with animal viruses. All this together highlights what European industry needs:i) a defined cheap reproducible medium that is animal serum free and ii) an universal Mycoplasma chassis that could be used in a pipeline to vaccinate against Mycoplasma species, as well as any pathogen. M pneumoniae is an ideal starting point for designing such a vaccine chassis. It has a small genome (860 kb) and it is probably the organism with the most comprehensive systems biology data acquired so far. By genome comparison, metabolic modeling and rationally engineering its genome, we will create a vaccine chassis that will be introduced into an industrial pipeline. The process will be guided by the second world largest industry on animal vaccination (MSD), as well as a SME specialized on peptide display and screening. This will ensure the exploitation and commercialization of our work contributing to maintain Europe privileged position in this field. Our ultimate goal is to meet the needs of the livestock industry,taking care of ethical issues, foreseeable risks, and prepare effective dissemination and training material for the public.

This Project is about bringing a suite of chemical reactions (and its related non-biological compounds and elements) to the biological fold (i.e. their 'biologization') by going beyond the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology (DNA→ RNA→ proteins→ metabolism) through both tuning and overcoming the uni-directionality of the information flow. To reverse-engineer reactions into a biological code, the utility function of the chemical process of interest will be progressively coupled to the fitness function of a live carrier (e.g. an engineered, synthetic or cyborg-ized bacterial chassis), the intermediate steps being supported by automated chemo-robots. The new-to-nature reactions (NTN) pursued within the MADONNA lifetime as case studies will include CO2 capture and recruitment of elemental silicon to become part of essential organo-Si metabolites. Along with the development of the new reactions, the research agenda of the Project will also include the [i] modelling and prediction on the impact of the new biotransformations on the overall functioning of the Biosphere once/if adopted at a large scale by the industrial sector and [ii] design of environmental simulators for evaluating the performance and evolution of the new biological reactions under given physico-chemical settings. With such approaches, MADONNA aims to fill many of the gaps between the 3 types of global-scale processing of chemical elements operating in our planet: Geochemical, Biological and Industrial. The scale of applications of the foundational technologies developed herein (which spin themselves much beyond CO2 and silicon) is unprecedented and a large number of societal ramifications including ethical, security, safety, economic, governance and public perceptions aspects at stake will be included. If successful, MADONNA will enable an entirely new type of sustainable industry in which many types of waste become assets instead of liabilities.