Dr Kang Lan Tee

School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering

Senior Lecturer

Deputy Director of Student Support (PGT)

Kang Lan Tee
Profile picture of Kang Lan Tee
k.tee@sheffield.ac.uk
Sir Henry Stephenson Building

Full contact details

Dr Kang Lan Tee
School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
Sir Henry Stephenson Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 4DT
Profile

In 2019, I established my independent research group at the University of Sheffield, the same year I was awarded the Global Challenges Research Fellowship to advance sustainable bioplastics production. Our research leverages engineering biology to drive the advancements in biomanufacturing, focusing on four primary areas:

1. Engineered Bacteria for Bioplastics Production and Recycling: We engineer bacterial strains to synthesize diverse polyhydroxyalkanoates and produce enzymes for efficient depolymerization.

2. Microbial CO2 Conversion: By converting carbon dioxide into high-value bio-products, we contribute to a sustainable biomanufacturing ecosystem.

3. Customized Microbial Chassis: Our work in strain adaptation creates tailored microbial platforms optimized for specific industrial applications.

4. Virus-Like Particles for Therapeutics and Vaccines: We develop virus-like particles as innovative delivery systems for vaccines and therapeutics.

As an innovator and entrepreneur, I co-founded Evolutor Ltd (UK), a company that leverages proprietary adaptive laboratory evolution technologies to enhance and optimize industrial biomanufacturing strains. In 2024, I co-founded ReNewFood, a venture to develop novel protein-based flavour ingredients to transform the alternative food industry. Our passion is in bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and real-world applications, driving innovation and sustainable solutions across multiple industries.

Beyond academia, I am passionate about translating research into impactful real-world solutions. As an innovator and entrepreneur, I co-founded Evolutor Ltd to deploy proprietary adaptive laboratory evolution technologies, enhancing and optimizing strains for industrial biomanufacturing. In 2024, I co-founded ReNewFood Ltd, a venture dedicated to developing novel protein-based flavor ingredients to revolutionize the alternative food industry. Through these work, we aim to bridge the gap between pioneering research and transformative applications, fostering sustainable innovation across industries.

Research interests

Our team leverages cutting-edge biological engineering to tackle global challenges in biomanufacturing and human health. By harnessing the power of engineered microbes, we produce a diverse array of high-impact products, including bioplastics, biochemicals, and biopharmaceuticals. Our core expertise lies in several critical areas:

(1) development and production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs),
(2) carbon dioxide utilisation
(3) engineered virus-like particles (VLPs) for vaccine development.

We also design and develop new tools for engineering novel microbial strains, enabling the creation of even more robust and versatile biological solutions. Our ultimate goal is to drive biomanufacturing to deliver sustainable, scalable, and impactful solutions.

Key research interests:

Bioplastics production and recycling
Microbial carbon dioxide conversion
Customized microbial chassis
Virus-like particles for therapeutics

Publications

Books

  • Wong TS & Tee KL (2023) . Springer International Publishing.
  • Wong TS & Tee KL (2020) . Springer International Publishing.

Journal articles

  • Li M, Doudin K, Robins DB, Tetradis-Mairis G, Wong TS & Tee KL (2025) . New Biotechnology, 88, 161-170.
  • Mutanone N, Casey D, Evans C, Tee K & Wong T (2025) . New Biotechnology, 85, 239-239.
  • Li M, Doudin K, Burling A, Wong T & Tee K (2025) . New Biotechnology, 85, 169-169.
  • Yu M, Li M, Tee K & Yu M (2025) . New Biotechnology, 85, 171-171.
  • Zhang F, Sheikh Q, Chen B, Tee K & Wong T (2025) . New Biotechnology, 85, 181-181.
  • Evans C (2024) Glycoprofile Comparison of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Proteins Expressed in CHO and HEK Cell Lines. Marine Biotechnology.
  • Sitompul SN, Diaz Garcia LA, Price J, Tee KL & Wong TS (2024) . Biotechnology Journal, 19(7).
  • Gali VK, Tee KL & Wong TS (2024) . SynBio, 2(2), 142-173.
  • Keita VM, Lee YQ, Lakshmanan M, Ow DS-W, Staniland P, Staniland J, Savill I, Tee KL, Wong TS & Lee D-Y (2024) . Microbial Cell Factories, 23(1).
  • Unrean P, Napathorn SC, Tee KL, Wong TS & Champreda V (2023) . Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 13(6), 4651-4657.
  • Gonzalez-Perez D, Ratcliffe J, Tan SK, Wong MCM, Yee YP, Nyabadza N, Xu J-H, Wong TS & Tee KL (2021) . Scientific Reports, 11.
  • Johari YB, Jaff矇 SRP, Scarrott JM, Johnson AO, Mozzanino T, Pohle TH, Maisuria S, BhayatCammack A, Lambiase G, Brown AJ , Tee KL et al (2021) . Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 118(2), 1013-1021.
  • Gonzalez-Perez D, Ratcliffe J, Tan SK, Wong MCM, Yee YP, Nyabadza N, Xu J-H, Wong TS & Tee KL (2020) .
  • Johnson AO, Gonzalez-Villanueva M, Wong L, Steinb羹chel A, Tee KL, Xu P & Wong TS (2020) . Metabolic Engineering, 61, 437-437.
  • Alessa AHA, Tee KL, Gonzalez-Perez D, Omar Ali HEM, Evans CA, Trevaskis A, Xu J-H & Wong TS (2019) . Bioresources and Bioprocessing, 6(1).
  • Unrean P, Tee KL & Wong TS (2019) . Bioresources and Bioprocessing, 6(1).
  • Gonz獺lez-Villanueva M, Galaiya H, Staniland P, Staniland J, Savill I, Wong TS & Tee KL (2019) . International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 20(22).
  • Jajesniak P, Tee KL & Wong TS (2019) . International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 20(16).
  • Tee KL, Xu J-H & Wong TS (2019) . JOURNAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY, 303, 53-64.
  • Johnson AO, Gonzalez-Villanueva M, Tee KL & Wong TS (2018) . ACS Synthetic Biology, 7(8), 1918-1928.
  • Tee KL, Grinham J, Othusitse AM, Gonzalez-Villanueva M, Johnson AO & Wong TS (2017) . Biotechnology Journal, 12(11).
  • Johnson AO, Gonzalez-Villanueva M, Wong L, Steinb羹chel A, Tee KL, Xu P & Wong TS (2017) . Metabolic Engineering, 44, 253-264.
  • Matthews S, Belcher JD, Tee KL, Girvan HM, McLean KJ, Rigby SE, Levy CW, Leys D, Parker DA, Blankley RT & Munro AW (2017) . Journal of Biological Chemistry, 292(12), 5128-5143.
  • Matthews S, Tee KL, Rattray NJ, McLean KJ, Leys D, Parker DA, Blankley RT & Munro AW (2017) . FEBS Letters, 591(5), 737-750.
  • McLean KJ, Hans M, Meijrink B, van Scheppingen WB, Vollebregt A, Tee KL, van der Laan J-M, Leys D, Munro AW & van den Berg MA (2015) . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(9), 2847-2852.
  • Tee KL & Wong TS (2013) . Biotechnology Advances, 31(8), 1707-1721.
  • Kuper J, Tee KL, Wilmanns M, Roccatano D, Schwaneberg U & Wong TS (2012) . Acta Crystallographica Section F Structural Biology and Crystallization Communications, 68(9), 1013-1017.
  • Zhu L, Tee KL, Roccatano D, Sonmez B, Ni Y, Sun Z & Schwaneberg U (2010) . ChemBioChem, 11(5), 691-697.
  • Tee KL (2009) . New Biotechnology, 25, S123-S123.
  • Tee KL, Dmytrenko O, Otto K, Schmid A & Schwaneberg U (2008) . Journal of Molecular Catalysis B: Enzymatic, 50(2-4), 121-127.
  • Seng Wong T, Roccatano D, Loakes D, Tee KL, Schenk A, Hauer B & Schwaneberg U (2008) . Biotechnology Journal, 3(1), 74-82.
  • Lan Tee K & Schwaneberg U (2007) . Combinatorial Chemistry & High Throughput Screening, 10(3), 197-217.
  • Schenk A, Wong TS, Roccatano D, Hauer B & Schwaneberg U (2006) Sequence saturation mutagenesis (SeSam) of a gene. Biospektrum, 12(3), 277-279.
  • Tee KL & Schwaneberg U (2006) . Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 45(32), 5380-5383.
  • Wong TS, Tee KL, Hauer B & Schwaneberg U (2005) . Analytical Biochemistry, 341(1), 187-189.
  • Wong TS (2004) . Nucleic Acids Research, 32(3), 26e-26.
  • Tee KL, Roccatano D, Stolte S, Arning J, Jastorff B & Schwaneberg U () . Green Chem., 10(1), 117-123.

Book chapters

  • Casey D, Diaz-Garcia L, Yu M, Tee KL & Wong TS (2024) In Ulber R (Ed.), Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology (pp. 1-26). Springer Berlin Heidelberg
  • Jajesniak P, Tee KL & Wong TS (2022) , Methods in Molecular Biology (pp. 123-135). Springer US
  • Keita VM, Gonzalez-Villanueva M, Wong TS & Tee KL (2020) , Engineering of Microbial Biosynthetic Pathways (pp. 245-302). Springer Singapore
  • Tee KL & Wong TS (2017) , Directed Enzyme Evolution: Advances and Applications (pp. 201-227). Springer International Publishing
  • McLean KJ, Luciakova D, Belcher J, Tee KL & Munro AW (2015) , Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology (pp. 299-317). Springer International Publishing
  • Tee KL & Wong TS (2014) Directed evolution: A powerful algorithm for advancing synthetic biology. In Singh V (Ed.), Biotechnology Volume 4: Applied Synthetic Biology (pp. 465-497). USA: Studium Press LLC.

Conference proceedings

  • Munro A, McLean K, Belcher J, Matthews S, Girvan H, Tee K, Poddar H, Andrews A, Leys D, Hans M , van den Berg M et al (2018) Biotechnological applications of cytochrome P450 enzymes. FEBS OPEN BIO, Vol. 8 (pp 21-21)

Other

  • Wong TS & Tee KL (2024) . Open Access Government, 42(1), 32-33.
  • Price J, Wong TS & Tee KL (2024) . Open Access Government, 41(1), 378-379.
  • Seng Wong T & Tee KL (2023) . Open Access Government, 40(1), 422-423.

Preprints

  • Li M, Doudin K, Wong TS & Tee KL (2024) , Elsevier BV.
  • Gali VK, Tee KL & Wong TS (2023) , MDPI AG.
  • Sitompul SN, Price J, Tee KL & Wong TS (2023) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Keita VM, Lee YQ, Lakshmanan M, Ow DS-W, Staniland P, Staniland J, Savill I, Tee KL, Wong TS & Lee D-Y (2023) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Johari YB, Jaff矇 SRP, Scarrott JM, Johnson AO, Mozzanino T, Pohle TH, Maisuria S, Bhayat-Cammack A, Brown AJ, Tee KL , Jackson PJ et al (2020) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Johari Y, Jaffe S, Scarrott J, Johnson A, Mozzanino TO, Pohle T, Maisuria S, Cammack AB, Brown A, Tee KL , Jackson P et al (2020) , Wiley.
  • Tee KL, Jackson PJ, Scarrott JM, Jaffe SRP, Johnson AO, Johari Y, Pohle TH, Mozzanino T, Price J, Grinham J , Brown A et al (2020) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Teaching activities

CPE61016 Bioresources and Bioprocessing

Professional activities and memberships
  • Associate Editor for Frontiers in Microbiology
  • Editorial board member for Bioresources and Bioprocessing
  • Member of EPSRC Peer Review College
  • BBSRC Pool of Experts

Links