Research

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Synthetic Biology underpins advances in the bioeconomy

Biological systems - including the simplest cells - exhibit a broad range of functions to thrive in their environment. Research in the Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology is focused on the possibility of engineering the underlying biochemical processes to solve many of the challenges facing society, from healthcare to sustainable energy. In particular, we model, analyse, design and build biological and biochemical systems in living cells and/or in cell extracts, both exploring and enhancing the engineering potential of biology. 

As part of our research we develop novel methods to accelerate the celebrated Design-Build-Test-Learn synthetic biology cycle. As such research in the Centre for Synthetic Biology highly multi- and interdisciplinary covering computational modelling and machine learning approaches; automated platform development and genetic circuit engineering ; multi-cellular and multi-organismal interactions, including gene drive and genome engineering; metabolic engineering; in vitro/cell-free synthetic biology; engineered phages and directed evolution; and biomimetics, biomaterials and biological engineering.

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Arpino:2020:10.1021/acssynbio.9b00504,
author = {Arpino, JAJ and Polizzi, KM},
doi = {10.1021/acssynbio.9b00504},
journal = {ACS Synthetic Biology},
pages = {993--1002},
title = {A modular method for directing protein self-assembly},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acssynbio.9b00504},
volume = {9},
year = {2020}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Proteins are versatile macromolecules with diverse structure, charge, and function. They are ideal building blocks for biomaterials for drug delivery, biosensing, or tissue engineering applications. Simultaneously, the need to develop green alternatives to chemical processes has led to renewed interest in multienzyme biocatalytic routes to fine, specialty, and commodity chemicals. Therefore, a method to reliably assemble protein complexes using protein-protein interactions would facilitate the rapid production of new materials. Here we show a method for modular assembly of protein materials using a supercharged protein as a scaffolding "hub" onto which target proteins bearing oppositely charged domains have been self-assembled. The physical properties of the material can be tuned through blending and heating and disassembly triggered using changes in pH or salt concentration. The system can be extended to the synthesis of living materials. Our modular method can be used to reliably direct the self-assembly of proteins using small charged tag domains that can be easily encoded in a fusion protein.
AU  - Arpino,JAJ
AU  - Polizzi,KM
DO  - 10.1021/acssynbio.9b00504
EP  - 1002
PY  - 2020///
SN  - 2161-5063
SP  - 993
TI  - A modular method for directing protein self-assembly
T2  - ACS Synthetic Biology
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acssynbio.9b00504
UR  - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32243747
UR  - https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssynbio.9b00504
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/78080
VL  - 9
ER  -
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