core members

1. SynBERC: A center-based effort to make biology easier to engineer • Research thrusts • Parts • Genetically encoded entity with basic biological function (e.g., a ribosome binding site, transcription terminator, phosphorylation motif) • Focus on parts families that are particularly useful for industrial applications • Devices • Collections of parts that perform one or more intended functions (e.g., Boolean logic operation, a feedback control loop, chemical transformation) • Key components include specifying device families; device-device carrier signals; standard experimental methods for device modeling and characterization • Chassis • “Naïve” cellular power supplies and chassis that can be used to sustain the proper operation of a synthetic biological system • Systems engineers focus on system design, and cell engineers focus on the design of cells as power supplies and chassis • Testbeds • Research thrusts are driven in large part by SynBERC’s three science testbeds, which serve to demonstrate the utility of synthetic biology and the tools constructed in our thrusts: • Testbed 1: Construction of a bacterium to swim to a chemical or biological agent and destroy it (e.g. tumor-killing bacterium) • Testbed 2: Microbial synthesis of natural and unnatural organic compounds • Reconstruction of plant alkaloid pathways in microbes • De novo design of biosynthetic pathways • Testbed 3: Development of a bacterium to produce cheap biofuels from biomass Vision Synthetic biology is an effort within the research community to develop the tools and technologies needed to design and build biological systems from standardized, well-characterized components. Just as technicians now assemble standardized, off-the-shelf electronic parts to build computers, synthetic biologists foresee a day when engineers will assemble systems from well-characterized biological parts with reliable, predictable outcomes. SynBERC is a NSF-funded center working to achieve that vision. The foundational research from SynBERC labs aims to reduce the high costs and long development times of current “artisanal” biological approaches, and promises to accelerate scientific breakthroughs in energy, health and the environment. The underlying goal of our research is not just to deliver systems that fulfill these testbed applications, but rather to develop the foundational infrastructure that is needed to make routine the design and construction of any engineered biological system. Investigators Thrust-testbed integration: Tumor-killing bacterium A model project: Tumor-killing bacterium • Web of registries • Based on MIT Registry of Standard Biological Parts (parts.mit.edu) • Well-characterized, community-rated, standard parts • Distributed, coordinated access to banked parts • All parts available to industrial participants UCB MIT community core members Adam Arkin Susan Marqusee Chris Anderson Tom Knight Ken Oye Ron Weiss GENETIC PROGRAM x = 0 IF (x==0) EXPRESS serum protectant IF (tumor_signal1) x = 1 IF (x=1 AND tumor_signal2) INVADE EXPRESS therapeutic CHASSIS Septic shock Innate immune response SENSORS Anaerobic Nutrients Bacteria Density CIRCUITS AND gate Stanford Paul Rabinow Carlos Bustamante Jay Keasling KristalaJones Prather Randy Rettberg PVAMU Harvard UCSF Drew Endy partners (JBEI, industry) Raul Cuero Wendell Lim Pamela Silver George Church TanjaKortemme Chris Voigt • Education & outreach • SynBERC’s education program is helping to build a new generation of synthetic biologists at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels: • SynBERC develops modular online curricula and training materials for all student levels. • The International Genetically Engineered Machines Competition (iGEM) trains undergraduates how to use and create Registry parts to design and execute a synthetic biology project over the course of a summer. • Reporting Science Program engages citizens, policymakers and experts about positive and negative ramifications of synthetic biology. • High School Biotech Program gives promising students from diverse backgrounds exposure to research and college opportunities. • Tech transfer & industry • SynBERC emphasizes industrial collaborations and technology transfer through its Industry Alliance Program, which aims to accelerate the commercial use of biology as an engineering science. Industry benefits can include: • Close interaction and joint projects with SynBERC faculty and students • Access to unpublished research results and SynBERC publications • Joint submittal of SBIR/STTR proposals and potential university fund matching • Opportunity to sponsor dedicated research projects with SynBERC Faculty Human practices A core premise of SynBERC’s engineering research strategy is that standardizing biological design will have significant ramifications for medicine, energy, security, and the environment. As such, SynBERC’s research program is designed to connect the center's technical achievements to broader opportunities and challenges. To this end, SynBERC's Human Practices thrust links together all other research thrusts and testbeds within a frame of the human sciences and ethics. We ask how synthetic biology contributes (for better or worse) to contemporary human life, and conversely how synthetic biology is shaped by economic, political, and cultural forces. An overarching goal of the Human Practices thrust is to move beyond traditional, reactive models of bioethics, and toward a more real-time engagement of researchers and their practices. iGEM www.synberc.org