The research program of the Laboratory of Technical Biology is aimed at the analysis and engineering of microbial pathways that are involved in the biosynthesis of antibiotics and anticancer agents. The availability of these compounds is often limited due to low production levels in the native producer organisms and the lack of economically feasible synthetic routes. Using a combination of genetic and chemical methods, we devise new fermentation-based concepts to afford ready access to these molecules as well as analogs with customized properties.