Tyrian purple (also named as Royal purple or Imperial purple) is a dye extracted from the murex shellfish which was first produced by the Phoenician city of Tyre in the Bronze Age. It then spread in popularity and was adopted by the Romans as a symbol of imperial authority and status.
The glands of thousands of putrefied crushed shellfish left to bake in the sun, with the overwhelming smell from the process. The resulting liquid was used to dye cloth fibres in manipulated variations of colours ranging from pink to violet.
To obtain 1.4g tyrian purple, 12,000 Mediterranean snails would be killed.
Its difficulty of manufacture, striking purple to red colour range, and resistance to fading made clothing dyed using Tyrian purple highly desirable and expensive.
Clothing and dyeing are both daily. The dyeing process in the fashion industry is energy and water-intensive and uses dyes that are polluting to produce and harmful for the environment.
Our TPE project is to optimize enzymes used in the biosynthesis of precious color Tyrian purple in E.coli
With TPE, we focus on benefiting every resident on the earth
We use directed evolution to develop the process of synthesis from two-cell system to one-cell system, with an expected optimization controlling system of endogenous TnaA enzyme in E.coli
We introduce a reversible glucose protection group to make the production of tyrian purple dye more stable and convenient for industrial scale-up
We focus on helping people with disabilities to perceive color through multiple senses
We focus on the plight of poor regions around the world in water pollution
We focus on surmounting the cost barrier for chemical factories to transition