Coming soon: yoga leggings that can repair themselves if you overdo warrior poses, emit light depending on your health, and naturally deteriorate if you get rid of them. To be too good to be true ? However, Noémie-Manuelle Dorval Courchesne, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at McGill University, is working to make this science fiction scenario a reality. His goal: to design living materials!
“Most of the materials we produce come from bacteria, particularly a harmless version of E. coli. They produce proteins that, among other things, have the ability to self-organize,” explains the holder of the Canada Research Chair in Materials of Biological Origin. Once these proteins have been genetically modified – for example by making them sensitive to light – they form a biofilm, a functional gel that is applied to the surface of tissue.
This work lies at the intersection of materials science, chemical engineering, synthetic biology and nanotechnology. “I really like the creative aspect of multidisciplinarity,” says the winner of a Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM2D Scholars Award in 2022. These prestigious awards – there are hundreds of nominations – are given to six world-renowned researchers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics , manufacturing and design.
In his toolbox
Noémie-Manuelle Dorval Courchesne uses a variety of genetic engineering methods for her high-profile DIY projects. These include Gibson strand assembly cloning, named after its inventor Daniel G. Gibson, co-founder of a California-based synthetic biology company. “This involves cutting a plasmid [une unité d’ADN indépendante] in certain places to replace a piece of gene that would code for a protein of interest, i.e. a piece that contains the genetic message that corresponds to that protein, explains the researcher.
Targeted evolution, i.e. the random introduction of genetic mutations to obtain a large variety of proteins, is also part of their toolbox. The goal: to obtain proteins whose amino acid sequences – and thus functional properties – are considered interesting. “We can thus improve the affinity of a protein to a surface. After several cycles of directed evolution, we are literally in the presence of a unique protein,” she says.
This cutting-edge research is attracting the attention of the private sector. Over the years, Noémie-Manuelle Dorval Courchesne has developed industry partnerships, including with sportswear company Lululemon. However, these biomaterials could have the greatest importance in the environmental sector. “The design of materials from biology has the potential to solve sustainability problems at the beginning and end of the life cycle of many products,” believes the professor.
For the right reasons
However, there is still a long way to go before we get there. Noémie-Manuelle Dorval Courchesne, for example, wants to intensify her work on directed evolution in the coming months and years, but this time for electronic applications. It is also the funding from Johnson & Johnson – US$150,000 (around $200,000 Canadian) and three years of mentorship – that allows him to explore this area of research. “Our results are promising,” reveals the main interested party.
If the past is a guarantee of the future, it is called to continue its path of excellence, believes Viviane Yargeau, dean of the Faculty of Engineering at McGill University. “In the medium and long term, Noémie will certainly make a difference, both in research and teaching as well as for society,” predicts the woman who previously headed the university’s chemical engineering department. “She’s here for the right reasons, not for her own little personal glory. »