Transcript “vision” – technologies based on biological principles throughout the

NEST
PATHFINDER initiative on
Synthetic biology
Specific Activities Covering a Wider Field of Research
New and Emerging Science and Technology
The “vision” – technologies
based on biological principles
throughout the economy
• Engineering systems made from biological “building
blocks” (functional proteins, sub-cellular machinery,
organisms)
• highly efficient, and low waste, operating in living cells or
on non-living substrates
• Pervasive thoughout industry (materials synthesis, energy
production, bio-remediation, lubrication, monitoring and
sensing, drug delivery…)
• Versatile and “intelligent” - combining different functions,
changing parameters according to local conditions
• Industrial fabrication of systems “to order”, based on
standard components and interfaces, using programmable
“bio-fab” plants.
Specific Activities Covering a Wider Field of Research
New and Emerging Science and Technology
The (main) elements
• Components and interfaces (genes, proteins,
molecular machines, signalling pathways, carrier
organisms…)
• Design tools (computational analysis, methods
for functional protein design, systems
modelling…)
• Control systems (genetic circuits, communication
methods)
• Production methods (programmable high
throughput DNA/protein production)
Specific Activities Covering a Wider Field of Research
New and Emerging Science and Technology
Various related
activities in the US
• DoE “Genomes to life” program (post human genome
project):
• characterisation of microbial organisms
• identification/characterisation of key molecular
machines
• ultra-powerful computation analysis methods
• High throughput gene sequencing and protein
production facilities
• Minimal genome project (Craig Venter - “Centre for Energy
Alternatives”)
• A wide range of centres/projects (Duke University, MIT….)
dealing with synthetic biology and related topics (e.g.
“biomimetic engineering”)
Specific Activities Covering a Wider Field of Research
New and Emerging Science and Technology
What should be done in
Europe?
• Encourage a serious strategic effort to anticipate the
“biology revolution” in technology/industry over the
long term (opportunities, needs, management,
regulation; …)
• Stimulate “Entrepreneurial transdisciplinarity” - a
culture of engineering in biology; insertion of biological
principles in engineering; focus on applications
• Develop intellectual and material infrastructures
available at European level
• Enable better communication between teams working
in relevant/related areas and “connectivity” with work
around the world
Specific Activities Covering a Wider Field of Research
New and Emerging Science and Technology
Overall objective of the
PATHFINDER initiative
• Stimulate forward-looking, cross disciplinary research to
demonstrate key principles and generate tools, building
blocks and generic “platform technologies” for synthetic
biology
• It should:
– Build on existing work and financing (FP6 and elsewhere) for
“systems biology”, “computational biology”,
“nanobiotechnology”, “biomimetic chemistry” etc.
– Work towards a “community of knowledge” which crosses the
various disciplines, and communicates internationally, enabling
the emergence of a strategic agenda for synthetic biology in
Europe
– Finance radical, application-focused research which have both
strategic interest and will create “project-by-project” payoffs,
feeding back into the science base.
Specific Activities Covering a Wider Field of Research
New and Emerging Science and Technology
Requirements for projects
• Projects should focus on design and engineering
of new biology-based systems with substantially
different characteristics from natural systems
• They can address different biological processes
(genetic circuits, metabolic pathways, signal
transduction) and components
• They should have clear applications in mind
• They should aim for tangible outcomes,
demonstrating engineering control over biological
processes, or “platform technologies”.
Specific Activities Covering a Wider Field of Research
New and Emerging Science and Technology
Possible application areas
•Energy production (photosynthesis, hydrogen production)
•Production of materials (natural polymers)
•Communication systems
•Sensing processes (eg “biological sentinels”)
•Intelligent therapeutic agents
These areas are not exhaustive! Proposers should
aim for ambitious but achievable goals that move
the “synthetic biology” agenda forward
Specific Activities Covering a Wider Field of Research
New and Emerging Science and Technology