UK to open three synthetic biology research centres
3 Feb 2014
Three new multidisciplinary research centres in synthetic biology will be established in Bristol, Nottingham and through a Cambridge/Norwich partnership.
Synthetic biology applies engineering principles to biology to make new biological parts, devices and systems.
It builds on an existing knowledge of DNA sequencing and experts argue is could be used to develop medicines, chemicals and green energy sources as well as improving food crops across the world.
BBSRC chief executive Jackie Hunter said: “We must find new solutions to the major global challenges that we face today and these research centres will seek more sustainable ways of producing important industrial materials, food and fuels, while advancing diagnostics and medicines.”
Benefiting from over £40 million of investment from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the synthetic biology research centres will be designed to boost national synthetic biology research capacity and create diverse expertise to stimulate innovation.
According to the EPSRC, the centres will: offer a strong collaborative culture; provide essential state-of-the-art equipment, facilities, trained researchers and technical staff; drive advancement in modern synthetic biology research; and develop new technologies.
The research centre at Bristol (BrisSynBio) will bring together scientists from a range of different research backgrounds to develop new techniques, technologies and reagents that will allow biologically-based products to be made easily, quickly and cheaply, and in sufficient quantities to make them useful.
Whereas, the Synthetic Biology Research Centre Nottingham (SBRC Nottingham) will aim to use bacteria to convert gasses that are all around us (such as carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4)into more desirable and useful molecules, reducing our reliance on petrochemicals.
The third facility, OpenPlant Synthetic Biology Research Centre, will focus on open technologies for plant synthetic biology.
The OpenPlant initiative will establish internationally-linked DNA registries for sharing information about plant specific parts and simple testbeds. The development and exchange of new foundational tools and parts will directly contribute to the engineering of new traits in plants.
