Nanjing Tech University
No.30 Puzhu Road, Pukou District
211800 Nanjing
China
Nanjing Tech University (NTU)
Contact
NTU members are all working at the College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering. They are also members of the National Engineering Research Centre for Biotechnology (NERCB), which is a national-level research institute at NTU. The leader of this centre is Prof. Pingkai Ouyang, the Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. The centre mainly focuses on enzyme engineering, pollutant degradation, enzymatic conversion of bio-products, up-scaling and process engineering. Over the past
ten years, NERCB has established a research platform for biocatalytic diversity, bio-catalysis transformation technology and bio-separation engineering. The technical research platform and the pilot lines of different scales have developed a relatively complete industrial biotechnology research system and research teams, which achieved excellent results in the fields of bioenergy, biomaterials, bulk chemicals and fine chemicals.
Main tasks within MIX-UP
In MIX-UP, NTU will work in WP4 on the isolation and identification of PE and PS degrading microorganisms (Task 4.1). In WP2, the focus will be the discovery and modification of novel PUR degrading enzymes (Task 2.2) or the engineering of various (thermophilic) PLA degrading enzymes (Subtask 2.3.3). In cooperation with BUCT, NTU will construct an efficient heterologous expression system for various plastics degrading
enzymes. NTU will also contribute to WP8 "Dissemination and exploitation". Besides experimental research, NTU's Prof. Min Jiang will be co-coordinator of the MIX-UP project with specific emphasis for organisation and management of the NCSF-funded Chinese Part of the project.
Team
Prof. Min Jiang
Nanjing Tech University
College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering
Dean of 2011 College, Programme Coordinator of Chinese Consortium, PI of Subproject 1
Jiangmin@njtech.edu.cn
Prof. Min Jiang has focused on discovery and modification of novel enzymes, lignocellulose and pollutant degradation, bulk chemicals and biofuels production for more than 15 years. Prof. Jiang has successfully constructed a series of enzyme libraries to hydrolyse lignocellulose or degrade pollutants efficiently. Through rational design and modification of enzymes, he significantly improved enzyme variants and ensured a molecular understanding of improved enzyme properties. Additionally, Min established a platform to enhance industrial strain's utilisation of low-cost lignocellulosic materials using a combination of microbial mutagenesis, adaptive evolution and metabolic engineering. In the recent five years, he (co-)authored 76 SCI papers. Min has also published 52 patents and two books. As the chairman from the China side, he has organised four Chinese-German Workshops on Biotechnology in a Bioeconomy (from 2014-2017), and also set up two collaborative laboratories with German universities. Owning to his research achievements, he was granted several local or national awards and honours.
Prof. Weiliang Dong
Nanjing Tech University
College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering
Major Team Member, Contact Person of NTU
dwl@njtech.edu.cn
Prof. Weiliang Dong has focused on the study of biodegradation of environmental pollutants including plastic film, pesticides and straw for one decade. He is an expert in isolation of degradable microbial resources and exploitation of key enzymes for degradation. At present, he has isolated and identified more than 20 microorganisms involved in pollutant degradation. More than ten novel enzymes involved in various degradation processes were identified. In the recent five years, Weiliang has published 40 SCI publications and received 20 patents in China.
Associate Prof. Jie Zhou
Nanjing Tech University
College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering
Major Team Member
jayzhou@njtech.edu.cn
Jie Zhou has focused on the bioremediation of pesticides pollution and the identification of the molecular degradation mechanisms. Recently, Jie seeks to screen for degrading enzymes and their directed evolution for biotransformation applications for value-added products. In the recent five years, he has published 20 SCI publications and got six patents in China.
Prof. Fengxue Xin
Nanjing Tech University
College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering
Major Team Member
xinfengxue@njtech.edu.cn
Prof. Fengxue Xin has focused on the utilisation and bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass and raw glycerol to biofuels and -chemicals. His scientific interests are the metabolic regulation and the enhancement in, e.g. artificial multicellular systems. Fengxue is (co-)author of more than 40 SCI papers and got five patents in China.