Dr. Stephan Noack | Forschungszentrum Jülich | IBG-1 – Bioprocesses and Bioanalytics

The aim of Stephan Noack's research is the development and optimization of microbial production processes, based on methods of systems biology. A better understanding of macroscopic and microscopic metabolism performance of selected model organisms under industrial production conditions helps to develop new production processes for bulk and fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals and natural products.

Stephan Noack studied Bioechemical Engineering at the Technical University of Dresden. 2009 he received his PhD supervised by Prof. Wolfgang Wiechert at the University of Siegen where he developed new approaches for model-based evaluation and interpretation of quantitative multi-omics data. During the following two-years Post-Doc fellowship in the group of Prof. Marco Oldiges at the former Institute for Biotechnology 2 at Forschungszentrum Jülich he intensified his research on vertical mechanistic modelling of biochemical networks. It became clear to him that the analytical methods which were available at that time for intracellular measurement of metabolites, proteins and metabolic fluxes were not precise enough to derive reliable predictions for strain and process optimization.

This was the starting point in 2011 for his Junior Research Group „Quantitative Microbial Phenotyping“ at the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences 1 (IGB-1). The group works on targeted improvement and development of methods to characterize microorganisms under industrial production conditions. For microscopic analysis, different methods based on mass spectroscopy are being used which enable the access to intracellular concentrations of proteins and metabolites. To achieve a faster access to macroscopic parameters like growth rate, yield and productivity, miniaturized und automated technologies like the Mini Pilot Plant were developed. These have already been successfully applied in various national and international research networks, e.g. for targeted genome reduction and enlargement of the substrate spectrum of the model organism Corynebacterium glutamicum. At present, Stephan Noack is coordinator of the ERASysAPP project XyloCut, co-coordinator of the Helmholtz Innovation Lab MiBioLab und co-manager of the Jülich Microbial Phenotyping Center (JMPC).

His first contact with the BioSC was as a project leader in the BOOST FUND project BEProMod where he was involved in the development of a multi-scale model for simulation and optimization of biorefinery processes.

From 2018 on, Stephan Noack will lead the FocusLab HyImPAct aiming at the development of so-called “hybrid” production processes which efficiently interlock microbial biotransformations, enzymatic cascade reactions, chemical synthesis steps, product recovery and technoeconomic analysis. In particular, the combined production of high-value pharmaceutical substances (chiral 1,2-diols und amino alcohols) and their precursors from renewable resources will be realized. C. glutamicum serves as a platform organism and will be further engineered towards the utilization of D-xylose containing feedstocks with minimized carbon loss.

Stephan Noack`s Junior Research Group currently comprises six co-workes.