About

Blake Rasor joined the faculty of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at NC State in fall 2025 as part of the new biomanufacturing-focused cluster. His research combines systems and synthetic biology approaches to engineer biocatalysis platforms with the goal of converting light and carbon dioxide into sustainable chemicals, including fuels and pharmaceuticals. His work aims to harness biology to utilize abundant natural resources while minimizing environmental impacts. He received a B.S. in biology and microbiology from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and earned a Ph.D. in chemical and biological engineering from Northwestern University, where he worked with Prof. Mike Jewett to study and engineer metabolism in cell-free systems. Prior to joining NC State, Rasor was an EMBO postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, working with Prof. Tobias Erb to study photosynthesis using components from algae and cyanobacteria. His research focuses on integrating systems and synthetic biology to develop sustainable biocatalysis platforms for converting natural resources into valuable chemicals.

Selected publications

• Addendum: Carbon-negative production of acetone and isopropanol by gas fermentation at industrial pilot scale

  Nature Biotechnology · 2025-07-21 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Building complex biochemicals from one-carbon compounds

  Nature Synthesis · 2025-07-08 · 4 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Cell-Free Systems to Mimic and Expand Metabolism

  ACS Synthetic Biology · 2025-01-29 · 16 citations

  reviewOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Cell-free synthetic biology incorporates purified components and/or crude cell extracts to carry out metabolic and genetic programs. While protein synthesis has historically been the primary focus, more metabolism researchers are now turning toward cell-free systems either to prototype pathways for cellular implementation or to design new-to-nature reaction networks that incorporate environmentally relevant substrates or new energy sources. The ability to design, build, and test enzyme combinations in vitro has accelerated efforts to understand metabolic bottlenecks and engineer high-yielding pathways. However, only a small fraction of metabolic possibilities has been explored in cell-free systems, and extracts from model organisms remain the most common starting points. Expanding the scope of cell-free metabolism to include extracts from new organisms, alternative metabolic pathways, and non-natural chemistries will enhance our ability to understand and engineer bio-based chemical conversions.

  PublisherDOI

• Cell-Free Gene Expression: Methods and Applications

  Chemical Reviews · 2024-12-19 · 80 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Cell-free gene expression (CFE) systems empower synthetic biologists to build biological molecules and processes outside of living intact cells. The foundational principle is that precise, complex biomolecular transformations can be conducted in purified enzyme or crude cell lysate systems. This concept circumvents mechanisms that have evolved to facilitate species survival, bypasses limitations on molecular transport across the cell wall, and provides a significant departure from traditional, cell-based processes that rely on microscopic cellular "reactors." In addition, cell-free systems are inherently distributable through freeze-drying, which allows simple distribution before rehydration at the point-of-use. Furthermore, as cell-free systems are nonliving, they provide built-in safeguards for biocontainment without the constraints attendant on genetically modified organisms. These features have led to a significant increase in the development and use of CFE systems over the past two decades. Here, we discuss recent advances in CFE systems and highlight how they are transforming efforts to build cells, control genetic networks, and manufacture biobased products.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Cell Extracts from Bacteria and Yeast Retain Metabolic Activity after Extended Storage and Repeated Thawing

  ACS Synthetic Biology · 2023-02-27 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access1st author

  Cell-free synthetic biology enables rapid prototyping of biological parts and synthesis of proteins or metabolites in the absence of cell growth constraints. Cell-free systems are frequently made from crude cell extracts, where composition and activity can vary significantly based on source strain, preparation and processing, reagents, and other considerations. This variability can cause extracts to be treated as black boxes for which empirical observations guide practical laboratory practices, including a hesitance to use dated or previously thawed extracts. To better understand the robustness of cell extracts over time, we assessed the activity of cell-free metabolism during storage. As a model, we studied conversion of glucose to 2,3-butanediol. We found that cell extracts from Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae subjected to an 18-month storage period and repeated freeze–thaw cycles retain consistent metabolic activity. This work gives users of cell-free systems a better understanding of the impacts of storage on extract behavior.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Mechanistic Insights into Cell-Free Gene Expression through an Integrated -Omics Analysis of Extract Processing Methods

  ACS Synthetic Biology · 2023-01-26 · 22 citations

  articleOpen access1st author

  Cell-free systems derived from crude cell extracts have developed into tools for gene expression, with applications in prototyping, biosensing, and protein production. Key to the development of these systems is optimization of cell extract preparation methods. However, the applied nature of these optimizations often limits investigation into the complex nature of the extracts themselves, which contain thousands of proteins and reaction networks with hundreds of metabolites. Here, we sought to uncover the black box of proteins and metabolites in Escherichia coli cell-free reactions based on different extract preparation methods. We assess changes in transcription and translation activity from σ70 promoters in extracts prepared with acetate or glutamate buffer and the common post-lysis processing steps of a runoff incubation and dialysis. We then utilize proteomic and metabolomic analyses to uncover potential mechanisms behind these changes in gene expression, highlighting the impact of cold shock-like proteins and the role of buffer composition.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Establishing a versatile toolkit of flux enhanced strains and cell extracts for pathway prototyping

  Metabolic Engineering · 2023-10-27 · 12 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A dynamic kinetic model captures cell-free metabolism for improved butanol production

  Metabolic Engineering · 2023-01-29 · 30 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• At-home, cell-free synthetic biology education modules for transcriptional regulation and environmental water quality monitoring

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2023-01-09 · 4 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Abstract As the field of synthetic biology expands, the need to grow and train science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) practitioners is essential. However, the lack of access to hands-on demonstrations has led to inequalities of opportunity and practice. In addition, there is a gap in providing content that enables students to make their own bioengineered systems. To address these challenges, we develop four shelf-stable cell-free biosensing educational modules that work by just-adding-water and DNA to freeze-dried crude extracts of Escherichia coli . We introduce activities and supporting curricula to teach the structure and function of the lac operon, dose-responsive behavior, considerations for biosensor outputs, and a ‘build-your-own’ activity for monitoring environmental contaminants in water. We piloted these modules with K-12 teachers and 130 high school students in their classrooms – and at home – without professional laboratory equipment or researcher oversight. This work promises to catalyze access to interactive synthetic biology education opportunities.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• At-Home, Cell-Free Synthetic Biology Education Modules for Transcriptional Regulation and Environmental Water Quality Monitoring

  ACS Synthetic Biology · 2023-09-12 · 25 citations

  articleOpen access

  As the field of synthetic biology expands, the need to grow and train science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) practitioners is essential. However, the lack of access to hands-on demonstrations has led to inequalities of opportunity and practice. In addition, there is a gap in providing content that enables students to make their own bioengineered systems. To address these challenges, we develop four shelf-stable cell-free biosensing educational modules that work by simply adding water and DNA to freeze-dried crude extracts of non-pathogenic Escherichia coli. We introduce activities and supporting curricula to teach the structure and function of the lac operon, dose-responsive behavior, considerations for biosensor outputs, and a “build-your-own” activity for monitoring environmental contaminants in water. We piloted these modules with K-12 teachers and 130 high-school students in their classrooms─and at home─without professional laboratory equipment. This work promises to catalyze access to interactive synthetic biology education opportunities.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Awards & honors

• European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Postdoctoral…
• Schmidt Science Fellows Finalist
• Distinguished Graduate Researcher Award in Chemical & Biolog…
• Brady Fellowship in Ethics and Civic Life
• National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship