Faculty
 Blaine A. Pfeifer, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Telephone: 617-627-2582
blaine.pfeifer@tufts.edu
Education:
1997 B.S. Chemical Engineering, Colorado State University
2002 Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, Stanford University
Honors:
- American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2003
Research Interests, Areas, or Ongoing Projects:
From an engineering perspective, our group seeks to influence genetic, metabolic, cellular, and process events required for the production of a therapeutic product. As an example, our group takes a molecular and process engineering approach to generating therapeutic natural products. In this particular application, tools and concepts from molecular biology, microbiology, analytical chemistry, and bacterial genetics support the development of microbial bio-processes and products. The particular compounds and processes we strive to produce target diseases that include cancer, bacterial infections, and diabetes.
The common research theme in our lab is to find more efficient and economical ways to generate biological products. One approach taken is to transplant the genetic material responsible for an important therapeutic product into a convenient and process-friendly bacterial microorganism (such as
Escherichia coli) for eventual product scale-up and development. Current projects include:
- The cellular and metabolic optimization for the production of the antibiotic erythromycin. Here, we are interested in optimizing the cellular biosynthetic process leading to large-scale process optimization.
- The production of new and established anticancer agents. This research aim seeks to generate potent anticancer agents through recombinant DNA technology. One particular agent of interest includes the anticancer agent ansamitocin.
- The development of new biological vaccine systems.
- Modeling and experimental efforts to better understand cellular bottlenecks in natural product biosynthesis.
 In conclusion, our research program emphasizes new and multiple disciplines to augment a traditional engineering education and embraces both chemical and biological engineering. Coupled with a group infrastructure that emphasizes commitment, teamwork, organization, creativity, and independence, our goal is to equip the student with the technical know-how and intellectual preparation to conduct and lead research.
Personnel:
Collaborators:
Selected Publications:
* indicates co-first authorship
Boghigian BA, Pfeifer BA. Current status, strategies, and potential for the metabolic engineering of heterologous
polyketides in Escherichia coli. Biotechnol Lett. 2008 May 17. [Epub ahead of print].
(PubMed)
A comparison between polymeric microsphere and bacterial vectors for macrophage P388D1 gene delivery. Parsa S,
Wang Y, Fuller J, Langer R, and Pfeifer BA. Pharm Res. 2008 May;25(5):1202-8.
(PubMed)
Zhang H*, Wang Y*, Pfeifer BA. Bacterial hosts for natural product production. Mol Pharm. 2008.
Mar-Apr;5(2):212-25 (PubMed)
Pistorino M, Pfeifer BA. Polyketide analysis using mass spectrometry,
evaporative light scattering, and charged aerosol detector systems. Anal
Bioanal Chem. 2008. Feb;390(4):1189-93. (PubMed)
Wang Y, Pfeifer BA. 6-deoxyerythronolide B production through chromosomal
localization of the deoxyerythronolide B synthase genes in Escherichia coli.
Metab Eng. 2007. Jan;10(1):33-8. (PubMed)
Wang Y*, Boghigian BA*, Pfeifer BA. Improving heterologous polyketide production
in Escherichia coli by overexpression of an S-adenosylmethionine synthetase
gene. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2007 Nov;77(2):367-73. (PubMed)
Parsa S, Pfeifer B. Engineering bacterial vectors for delivery of genes and
proteins to antigen-presenting cells. Mol Pharm. 2007 Jan-Feb;4(1):4-17.
Review. (PubMed)
Pfeifer BA, Burdick JA, Little SR, Langer R. Poly(ester-anhydride):poly(β-amino
ester) micro- and nanospheres: DNA encapsulation and cellular transfection.
Int J Pharm. 2005 Nov 4;304(1-2):210-9. (PubMed)
Pfeifer BA, Burdick JA, Langer R. Formulation and surface modification of
poly(ester-anhydride) micro- and nanospheres. Biomaterials. 2005
Jan;26(2):117-24. (PubMed)
Pfeifer BA, Wang CC, Walsh CT, Khosla C. Biosynthesis of Yersiniabactin, a
complex polyketide-nonribosomal peptide, using Escherichia coli as a
heterologous host. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2003 Nov;69(11):6698-702. (PubMed)
Kinoshita K, Pfeifer BA, Khosla C, Cane DE. Precursor-Directed polyketide
biosynthesis in Escherichia coli. Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2003 Nov
3;13(21):3701-4. (PubMed)
Hu Z, Pfeifer BA, Chao E, Murli S, Kealey J, Carney JR, Ashley G, Khosla C,
Hutchinson CR. A specific role of the Saccharopolyspora erythraea
thioesterase II gene in the function of modular polyketide synthases.
Microbiology. 2003 Aug;149(Pt 8):2213-25. (PubMed)
Pfeifer B, Hu Z, Licari P, Khosla C. Process and metabolic strategies for
improved production of Escherichia coli-derived 6-deoxyerythronolide B.
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2002 Jul;68(7):3287-92. (PubMed)
Dayem LC, Carney JR, Santi DV, Pfeifer BA, Khosla C, Kealey JT. Metabolic
engineering of a methylmalonyl-CoA mutase-epimerase pathway for complex
polyketide biosynthesis in Escherichia coli. Biochemistry. 2002 Apr
23;41(16):5193-201. (PubMed)
Lombo F, Pfeifer B, Leaf T, Ou S, Kim YS, Cane DE, Licari P, Khosla C. Enhancing
the atom economy of polyketide biosynthetic processes through metabolic
engineering. Biotechnol Prog. 2001 Jul-Aug;17(4):612-7. (PubMed)
Pfeifer BA, Khosla C. Biosynthesis of polyketides in heterologous hosts.
Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 2001 Mar;65(1):106-18. Review. (PubMed)
Pfeifer BA, Admiraal SJ, Gramajo H, Cane DE, Khosla C. Biosynthesis of complex
polyketides in a metabolically engineered strain of E. coli. Science.
2001 Mar 2;291(5509):1790-2. (PubMed)
Courses Taught:
- ChBE 10 Thermodynamics and Process Calculations I
- ChBE 194 Special Topics: Genetic, Metabolic, and Cellular Engineering
- EN 40 Preview of Chemical Engineering
- ChBE24 – Senior Projects Laboratory
Past Group Pictures:
Review photos >>
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