From Stress Biology to Climate Impact: Rethinking synthetic biology through the lens of the MEP isoprenoid pathway

Professor Claudia Vickers

Title: From Stress Biology to Climate Impact: Rethinking synthetic biology through the lens of the MEP isoprenoid pathway

Abstract: Plants live at the interface of productivity and stress. Their metabolism is continuously shaped by fluctuating light, temperature, water availability and oxidative pressure, and survival depends on the ability to dynamically reallocate carbon and energy under these constraints. The methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) isoprenoid pathway sits at the centre of this balancing act. Long viewed primarily as a biosynthetic route to isoprenoids, our recent work has reframed the MEP pathway as an integrated stress-sensing and response system, tightly coupled to redox state, energy metabolism and cellular defence. Here, we will explore the link between MEP-associated stress physiology and engineering biology. In the context of this and the myriad claims of climate-positive engineering innovations, we will ask where synthetic biology can actually deliver meaningful climate impact. Using a quantitative framework for evaluating climate-relevant interventions, I will show that many proposed solutions fail not because the engineering fails, but because they cannot scale to meaningful carbon volumes or do not consider broader limitations in metabolic context. Future progress will depend on stress-aware engineering strategies that explicitly incorporate physiological limits, dynamic control, and resilience under real-world conditions. By integrating insights from stress biology with quantitative impact analysis, we can better identify which interventions are worth pursuing.