Mimicking the female sex hormone, estrogen-like compounds impact human and animal health and behavior, even when present only in small concentrations. While some of them, e.g., several plant phytoestrogens, are beneficial, synthetic xenoestrogens, such as widespread bisphenol A and phthalates, lower fertility and disrupt child development, thus creating an inescapable and ubiquitous medical and ecological problem. However, since some estrogen-like compounds are biologically active only after being metabolized by the liver and microbial enzymes, even measuring their total estrogenic activity is challenging.
Aiming to address this problem, the croESTRO project will establish a new research group within the Croatian research system that will develop single-cell eukaryotic biosensors expressing selected liver and microbial enzymes and thus able to detect estrogen-like compounds and their active metabolites. For this purpose, the group will apply principles of machine learning and synthetic biology, one of the European key development technologies, and visit and actively collaborate with Western and Central European research groups. Furthermore, the research group will repurpose the developed biosensor for equol, a beneficial phytoestrogen produced by microbial metabolism of soy isoflavones, into a potentially patentable microbial factory. In addition to directly impacting human health, these innovations will help protect the environment and strengthen the EU economy by supporting new bioprocesses and pharmaceutical tools.
