Researchers at Institute of Science Tokyo have genetically engineered cyanobacteria to produce sulfated polysaccharides (SPS) using only sunlight and carbon dioxide. By transferring the entire synechan gene cluster from a natural producer into a non-producing strain, they created a photosynthetic microbe that secretes the complex sugar compound. This is a proof of concept for turning cyanobacteria into controlled cell factories for biomaterials. Sulfated polysaccharides are widely used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and functional materials, but current production relies on animal or marine sources. This method offers a sustainable alternative that avoids those environmental concerns. The engineered strain showed the introduced genes worked together and shifted the cell's metabolism to prioritize SPS synthesis, though growth behavior also changed. Future work will focus on optimizing yields and tailoring the polysaccharide composition. If scaled, this approach could reduce dependence on animal and marine resources while enabling new biomaterials. It is a clear step toward using photosynthesis for industrial biomanufacturing, though commercial viability remains unproven.
