Associate professor at Tianjin University, China
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mingdong Yao is an Associate Professor at Tianjin University, where he works at the Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and the School of Chemical Engineering and Technology. He earned his Ph.D. in Applied Life Chemistry from the University of Tokyo, Japan. Dr. Yao has made significant contributions to the fields of synthetic biology, microbial cell factories, biocatalysis, and enzyme engineering.
Publication Profile
Academic Background:
Dr. Mingdong Yao received his PhD in Applied Life Chemistry from the University of Tokyo, Japan. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and the School of Chemical Engineering and Technology at Tianjin University, China.
Research Focus:
Dr. Yao’s research expertise includes synthetic biology, microbial cell factories, biocatalysis, and enzyme engineering. His work focuses on the design, development, and optimization of key functional enzymes in biosynthetic pathways.
Key Contributions:
Dr. Yao has significantly advanced the construction of cell factories, improving the production of lipophilic compounds in yeast by extending the cellular G1 phase and enhancing enzyme expression. He also developed a rational enzyme assembly strategy, improving the biosynthesis efficiency of terpenoid products. Additionally, his work in enzyme design has led to the functional expansion of adenosinase to halogenase.
Research Projects:
He has completed several major research projects, including a National Natural Science Foundation project, two subprojects of the National Key Research and Development Program of China, and a Tianjin Natural Science Foundation project. He is currently leading another subproject of the National Key Research and Development Program of China.
Awards and Recognition:
Dr. Yao’s research has been widely recognized internationally, contributing significantly to the fields of synthetic biology and enzyme engineering.
Citations:
- Total Citations: 1,276
- Citations by Documents: 1,015
- Number of Documents: 65
- h-index: 20
- Systematic metabolic engineering enables highly efficient production of vitamin A in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Shi, Y., Lu, S., Zhou, X., Xiao, W., Yao, M.
Synthetic and Systems Biotechnology, 2025, 10(1), pp. 58–67.
- Extending the G1 phase improves the production of lipophilic compounds in yeast by boosting enzyme expression and increasing cell size
Hao, H., Yao, M., Wang, Y., Xiao, W., Yuan, Y.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2024, 121(47), e2413486121.
- A customized self-assembled synergistic biocatalyst for plastic depolymerization
Zhang, W., Han, Y., Yang, F., Yao, M., Qin, H.-M.
Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2024, 477, 135380.
- Improving the expression of taxadiene synthase to enhance the titer of taxadiene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Zhang, C., Wang, J., Shi, Y., Yao, M., Yuan, Y.
Green Chemistry, 2024, 26(20), pp. 10604–10616.
- Highly efficient synthesis of lysergic acid using engineered budding yeast
Wu, N., Yao, M., Xiao, W., Wang, Y., Yuan, Y.-J.
Green Chemistry, 2024, 26(19), pp. 10330–10343.
- Systematic Engineering to Enhance β-Myrcene Production in Yeast
Shu, Y., Dong, T., Zhou, X., Wang, Y., Xiao, W.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2024, 72(35), pp. 19395–19402.
- Biotransformation of ethylene glycol by engineered Escherichia coli
Yan, W., Qi, X., Cao, Z., Ding, M., Yuan, Y.
Synthetic and Systems Biotechnology, 2024, 9(3), pp. 531–539.
- Multidimensional combinatorial screening for high-level production of erythritol in Yarrowia lipolytica
Li, L., Zhang, Q., Shi, R., Lu, F., Qin, H.-M.
Bioresource Technology, 2024, 406, 131035.
- Research Progress in the Synthesis of Astaxanthin by Yeast
Shu, Y., Wang, Y., Yao, M., Xiao, W.
China Biotechnology, 2024, 44(6), pp. 116–128.
- Molecular Insights into Converting Hydroxide Adenosyltransferase into Halogenase
Jiang, Y., Yao, M., Feng, J., Dong, M., Yuan, Y.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2024, 72(22), pp. 12685–12695.