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{Bolognesi:2018:10.1038/s41467-018-04282-w,
author = {Bolognesi, G and Friddin, MS and Salehi-Reyhani, S and Barlow, N and Brooks, NJ and Ces, O and Elani, Y},
doi = {10.1038/s41467-018-04282-w},
journal = {Nature Communications},
pages = {1--11},
title = {Sculpting and fusing biomimetic vesicle networks using optical tweezers},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04282-w},
volume = {9},
year = {2018}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Constructing higher-order vesicle assemblies has discipline-spanning potential from responsive soft-matter materials to artificial cell networks in synthetic biology. This potential is ultimately derived from the ability to compartmentalise and order chemical species in space. To unlock such applications, spatial organisation of vesicles in relation to one another must be controlled, and techniques to deliver cargo to compartments developed. Herein, we use optical tweezers to assemble, reconfigure and dismantle networks of cell-sized vesicles that, in different experimental scenarios, we engineer to exhibit several interesting properties. Vesicles are connected through double-bilayer junctions formed via electrostatically controlled adhesion. Chemically distinct vesicles are linked across length scales, from several nanometres to hundreds of micrometres, by axon-like tethers. In the former regime, patterning membranes with proteins and nanoparticles facilitates material exchange between compartments and enables laser-triggered vesicle merging. This allows us to mix and dilute content, and to initiate protein expression by delivering biomolecular reaction components.
AU  - Bolognesi,G
AU  - Friddin,MS
AU  - Salehi-Reyhani,S
AU  - Barlow,N
AU  - Brooks,NJ
AU  - Ces,O
AU  - Elani,Y
DO  - 10.1038/s41467-018-04282-w
EP  - 11
PY  - 2018///
SN  - 2041-1723
SP  - 1
TI  - Sculpting and fusing biomimetic vesicle networks using optical tweezers
T2  - Nature Communications
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04282-w
UR  - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-04282-w
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/58029
VL  - 9
ER  -
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