Genetic Circuit Challenge Workshop

Thursday 24 Nov 2011

Bentham seminar room 1

What is Synthetic Biology ?

A new area of biological research that combines science & engineering

Science

Biology is the understanding of what living systems are and how they work. A discovery science.

Recombinant DNA technology is the beginning of using (usually) single cloned genes in new hosts to make a product.

Synthetic Biology is how we could build novel biological entities based on the knowledge we now have of biological systems.

Engineering

The use of Engineering Principals for these designs and constructions.Engineering Principals - parts are standardised and can

be put together in a modular way to create the final device or machine.

Use the Engineering Cycle way of thinking.

This has led to the idea of the need for standardising parts in synthetic biology.

Major Areas in SynBio

Genetic circuits: Oscillators, Biosensors, etc.

Metabolic pathway construction: de novo designs, new drugs, bioenergy, etc.

Structured devices: Proteins, DNA, macromolecules, etc.

Artificial cells: Novel bacteria, Synthetic genomes, etc.

modified microbes to make bio-fuels or to clean up toxic waste

new diagnostic devices based on enzymes and cells

cells designed to make chemicals and drugs that are currently made from petrochemicals.

biological devices to be used in electronic or optical devices.

Examples

International Genetically Engineered Machine

Registry of Standard Biological Parts

(http://partsregistry.org/Main_Page)

Search by Catalogues

Search by Part’s name

Search by text, name, subparts, superparts

UCL iGEM 2010 --- Project Hypoxon

Cambridge 2009 --- E. Chromi

Useful Websites

http://partsregistry.org/Main_Page (Registry)

http://www.ebi.ac.uk/embl/ (EMBL-EBI)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ (NCBI)

http://ecocyc.org/ (database for E.coli K-12 MG1655)

http://igem.org/Main_Page (iGEM main page)

http://2011.igem.org (specific year of iGEM competition)