Researchers in Japan have developed an integrated synthetic biology system to construct new metabolic pathways and enzymes within microbes. By incorporating a “Design, Build, Test, Learn” (DBTL) workflow, the production of pharmaceutical raw materials could be systematically optimized. This application supports the concept of the DBTL workflow as a sustainable method for production of complex and valuable materials. The results were published on May 1 in the open access journal Nature Communications.