Engineering Biology
Volume 3, Issue 1, March 2019
Volumes & issues:
Volume 3, Issue 1
March 2019
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- Source: Engineering Biology, Volume 3, Issue 1, page: 1 –1
- DOI: 10.1049/enb.2019.0003
- Type: Article
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Editorial
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- Author(s): Lionel J. Clarke
- Source: Engineering Biology, Volume 3, Issue 1, p. 2 –5
- DOI: 10.1049/enb.2018.5009
- Type: Article
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Synthetic biology is transforming the ability to manufacture increasingly needed bio-based products in response to rising market demand. By applying engineering principles to the convolution of recent advances in genomic engineering techniques, information technology and automation, synthetic biology is facilitating the replacement of time-consuming ‘discover and grow’ approaches by more precise and affordable ‘biodesign and biomanufacture’ processes. Meantime, societal awareness of specific health, well-being, and environmental issues is increasing ‘market pull’ that will shape future pathways to commercialisation. Market interests will not only shape targets for product function and cost but also increasingly question their provenance. Sustainability concerns are already driving demand to replace petrochemical-derived by bio-derived products, but many established industries wishing to transition may lack familiarity with bio-manufacturing processes and with the wider issues associated with large-scale bio-feedstock supply chains. Meantime, commercialisation of synthetic biology today is being advanced mostly via start-ups and SMEs. Combining the knowledge and skills required to respond to market interests, as the scale of operations and complexity of issues expands, is likely to stimulate an increasing diversity of collaborative approaches.
- Author(s): Camille J. Delebecque and Jim Philp
- Source: Engineering Biology, Volume 3, Issue 1, p. 6 –11
- DOI: 10.1049/enb.2018.0001
- Type: Article
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Industrial biotechnology is focused on the production of bio-based fuels, chemicals and materials such as plastics and textiles. Engineering biology, synonymous with synthetic biology, provides a platform technology that brings an engineering approach to harnessing biotechnology for industrial production. The two combine within the political construct of the future bioeconomy, in which bio-based gradually replaces fossil-based production. There are many barriers to this future, including technical, political and social aspects. Behind all of these is a need for a new form of workforce not seen before, in which various skills and knowledge bases merge and combine. The required multi- and interdisciplinary skills challenge higher education to get out of the discipline-dominated paradigm. This study examines some of the current and future critical issues and provides some examples of how higher education is rising to the challenge.
Synthetic biology – pathways to commercialisation
Education and training for industrial biotechnology and engineering biology
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- Author(s): Vincent Piras ; Adam Chiow ; Kumar Selvarajoo
- Source: Engineering Biology, Volume 3, Issue 1, p. 12 –19
- DOI: 10.1049/enb.2018.5008
- Type: Article
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Biofilm, a colony forming cooperative response of microorganisms under environmental stress, is a major concern for food safety, water safety and drug resistance. Most current works focus on controlling biofilm growth by targeting single genes. Here, the authors investigated transcriptome-wide expressions of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae biofilm in wildtype, and six previously identified biofilm regulating overexpression strains. Using statistical distributions for low expression filter (TPM > 5), Pearson auto- and cross-correlations reveal a strong transcriptome-wide invariance among all genotypes. The 50 highly expressed genes, however, differ significantly between the genotypes. Principal components analysis shows the global similarity between most overexpression strains. Thus, though single overexpression strains may show significant favourable local and acute expression changes (short-range disorder), the almost unperturbed global and collective structure between the genotypes indicate gradual adaptive response converging to original stable biofilm states (long-range order). Hierarchical clustering and gene ontology show 11 groups of local (e.g. mitochondria processes, amine and nucleotide metabolic processes) and 6 groups of global (e.g. transcription, translation and cell cycle) processes for all genotypes. The overall data indicate that there is a strong global regulatory structure that keeps the overall biofilm stable in all investigated strains.
- Author(s): Andrew J. Ferguson ; Matthew J. Hayes ; Blair C. Kirkpatrick ; Yen-chun Lin ; Vijay Narayan ; Albert Prak
- Source: Engineering Biology, Volume 3, Issue 1, p. 20 –23
- DOI: 10.1049/enb.2018.5010
- Type: Article
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The authors describe a thermofluidic chip on which microscale islands of controlled temperature are formed within an open fluidic environment. The chip forms part of the authors’ technology for thermally controlled DNA synthesis, whereby the site-specific temperature control enables site-specific addressability of chemical reactions, for example, related to the phosphoramidite cycle. Here, the authors discuss the principle of the chip, supporting the thermal well concept by means of simulations as well as by showing a prototype thermal array device.
Long-range order and short-range disorder in Saccharomyces cerevisiae biofilm
Thermofluidic chip containing virtual thermal wells
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