Innovative Additive Manufacturing Approaches for Enzyme Immobilization in Cell Free Protein and RNA Synthesis

The advent of Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology, commonly known as 3D printing, offers unprecedented
opportunities in the field of biocatalysis, particularly for the immobilization of enzymes used in cell free protein and
RNA synthesis. This proposal outlines a research project aimed at developing novel 3D printed biocatalytic systems
for low cost, efficient and sustainable protein and RNA synthesis enabled by continuous flow through processing. By
leveraging the precision and versatility of AM, we aim to design and fabricate enzyme-immobilized matrices that
enhance catalytic performance, stability, and reusability. This will enable enzyme reactions to take advantage of the
benefits of continuous processing with low enzyme loads and minimizing impurity formation. This is critical in RNA
production where the industry struggles with minimizing impurities such as dsRNA. Therefore, this will overall lead
to reduced production costs and increased manufacturing sustainability and speed.