Benjamin Woolston
Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering
Office
- 223 Cullinane
- 617.373.5560
Lab
- 006 Mugar
Related Links
Research Focus
Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology for sustainable biochemical production and human health
About
Joined the Chemical Engineering department in January 2020.
Education
- PhD in Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2017
- BSc in Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 2011
Honors & Awards
- 2020 International Metabolic Engineering Society Jay Bailey Young Investigator Award in Metabolic Engineering
- 2021 Biotechnology & Bioengineering Daniel IC. Wang Young Investigator Award
- 2021 MassVentures ACORN Innovation Award. Role: PI
- 2021 ARPA-E ECOSynBio – “Zero-Carbon Biofuels: An Optimized Two-Stage System for High Productivity Conversion of CO2 to Liquid Fuels.” Role: Co-PI
- 2022 SPARK Fund. Role: PI
- 2022 NIH NIBIB R21 Trailblazer – “Engineered Probiotics for Closed-Loop Control of Disease-Associated Gut Metabolites in Gut-on-Chip Models.” Role: PI
Teaching Interests
- Biochemical Engineering (CHME 5630)
- Graduate Kinetics and Reactor Design (CHME 7340)
Professional Affiliations
- American Institute of Chemical Engineers
- American Chemical Society
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
Research Overview
Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology for sustainable biochemical production and human health
Renewable Biochemical Production with Acetogenic Microbes
Biological production of chemicals and fuels can offer many environmental benefits, from pollution prevention to greenhouse gas capture and sequestration. Acetogenic microbes are a diverse group of ancient anaerobic bacteria that metabolize single carbon substrates such as carbon monoxide, methanol, and formic acid. These substrates have recently emerged as attractive feedstocks for bioprocessing because they do not compete with food supply, and can be produced directly from carbon dioxide using renewable energy. Using tools from metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, and protein biochemistry, we are investigating fundamental questions about the metabolism of acetogens, as well as engineering them to produce valuable biofuels and biochemicals using single carbon substrates.
Interrogating Microbial Metabolism in Human Gut Microbiota with Engineered Microbes
In recent years, the gut microbiota has emerged as an important factor in human health, and interactions between host and microbial cells mediated by small-molecule microbial metabolites play a role in regulating the immune system, gastrointestinal diseases and certain cancers, and a communication network between the brain and gut (gut-brain-axis) that affects neurodegeneration and mood. Studying the role of these metabolites in disease is complicated by the lack of robust methods to determine and modulate their local concentration in the gut. We are tackling this problem using synthetic biology methods to engineer commensal bacteria to sense and precisely modulate specific metabolites in vivo. Applications of these engineered microbes may give insight into disease pathways, impact of specific metabolites on the gut ecosystem, and a better mechanistic understanding of bacteria-host interactions.
Selected Research Projects
- Engineered Probiotics for Closed-Loop Control of Disease-Associated Gut Metabolites in Gut-On-Chip Models
- – Principal Investigator, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
Department Research Areas
Selected Publications
At Northeastern
- Expanding the genetic engineering toolbox for the metabolically flexible acetogen Eubacterium limosum. PA Sanford, BM Woolston. Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology 49 (5) 2022
- Adapting isotopic tracer and metabolic flux analysis approaches to study C1 metabolism. KO Hoyt, BM Woolston. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 75, 102695
- Synthetic or natural? Metabolic engineering for assimilation and valorization of methanol. PA Sanford, BM Woolston. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 74, 171-179
Prior to Northeastern
- BM Woolston, G Stephanopoulos (2020). Engineering E. coli to Grow on Methanol. Joule, 4 (10),2070-2072.
- DF. Emerson, BM Woolston, N. Liu, M. Donnelly, D.H. Currie, G. Stephanopoulos, Enhancing Hydrogen‐Dependent Growth of and Carbon Dioxide Fixation by Clostridium Ljungdahlii Through Nitrate Supplementation, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 116(2), 2019, 294-306
- T.B. Roth, BM Woolston, G. Stephanopoulos, D.R. Liu, Phage-Assisted Evolution of Bacillus methanolicus Methanol Dehydrogenase 2, ACS Synthetic Biology, 8(4), 2019, 796-806
- BM Woolston, T. Roth, I. Kohale, D.R. Liu, G. Stephanopoulos, Development of a Formaldehyde Biosensor with Application to Synthetic Methylotrophy, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 2018
- BM Woolston, J.R. King, M. Reiter, B. Van Hove, G. Stephanopoulos, Improving Formaldehyde Consumption Drives Methanol Assimilation in Engineered E. Coli, Nature Communications, 9(1), 2018, 2387
- BM Woolston, D.F. Emerson, D.H. Currie, G. Stephanopoulos, Rediverting Carbon Flux in Clostridium Ljungdahlii Using CRISPR Interference (CRISPRi), Metabolic Engineering, 48, 2018, 243-253
Jan 25, 2023
Announcing Spring 2023 PEAK Experiences Awardees
Several engineering students and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Northeastern’s Spring 2023 PEAK Experiences Awards. Base Camp Awardees Sophia Nguyen COE’26, “Neuromodulation of Motor Cortex’s Response to Different Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Pulse Waveforms” Mentor: Mathew Yarossi, Bouvé, Physical Therapy/Movement/Rehab Science This project seeks to use transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a noninvasive […]
Dec 07, 2022
NIH Trailblazer Award for Engineering Smarter Gut Metabolites to Affect Human Health
ChE Assistant Professor Benjamin Woolston is leading a $628K NIH Trailerblazer Award with Assistant Professor Ryan Koppes, Associate Professor Abigail Koppes, and Professor Rebecca Carrier for “Engineered Probiotics for Closed-Loop Control of Disease-Associated Gut Metabolites in Gut-On-Chip Models.”
Oct 07, 2022
Announcing Fall 2022 PEAK Experiences Awardees
Several engineering students and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Northeastern’s Fall 2022 PEAK Experiences Awards. This extraordinary group of students is taking on a range of exciting projects, from exploring axolotl limb regeneration to building a snake-inspired robot to understanding accessibility on Broadway. ASCENT AWARDS Justin Almendral COE’24, “Wearable Art” Mentor: […]
Jul 07, 2022
Using Spark Fund Award for Sustainable Biofuel Production
ChE Assistant Professor Benjamin Woolston is using the Spark Funds he received earlier this year to make sustainable biofuel production available to be commercialized.
Jul 06, 2022
Announcing the new MS in Pharmaceutical Engineering at Northeastern University
The College of Engineering and Bouve College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University are offering a new Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Engineering. Both colleges began to recognize the growing need in the pharmaceutical sector for people that have both an engineering background as well as understand the regulatory environment of the pharmaceutical industry. “The […]
May 18, 2022
Announcing Summer 2022 PEAK Experiences Awardees
Several engineering students and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Northeastern’s Summer 2022 PEAK Experiences Awards.
Feb 04, 2022
Announcing Spring 2022 PEAK Experiences Awardees
Several engineering students and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Northeastern’s Spring 2022 PEAK Experiences Awards.
Jan 27, 2022
2022 Spark Fund Awardees
BioE Professor Jeff Ruberti, ECE Assistant Professor Aatmesh Shrivastava, ChE Assistant Professor Benjamin Woolston, and MIE Associate Professor Yi Zheng are recipients of Spark Fund Awards, which help Northeastern researchers bridge the gap between promising lab results and demonstrating a commercially viable prototype.
Dec 22, 2021
Developing Advanced Genetic Engineering Methods
ChE Assistant Professor Benjamin Woolston’s proposal for “Development of a Robust Genome Engineering Toolbox for the Model Acetogen Eubacterium limosum” was accepted by the DOE’s Joint Genome Institute’s Community Science Program.
Aug 03, 2021
2021 Acorn Innovation Awards
ECE Research Assistant Professor Yousof Naderi, Professor Kaushik Chowdhury, Assistant Professor Aatmesh Shrivastava, and ChE Assistant Professor Benjamin Woolston received Acorn Innovation Fund Awards which help in the commercialization of scientific breakthroughs in Massachusetts.