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{Nash:2018:10.1101/356998,
author = {Nash, A and Urdaneta, GM and K, Beaghton A and Hoermann, A and Aris, Papathanos P and Christophides, GK and Windbichler, N},
doi = {10.1101/356998},
title = {Integral Gene Drives: an “operating system” for population replacement},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/356998},
year = {2018}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - <jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>First generation CRISPR-based gene drives have now been tested in the laboratory in a number of organisms including malaria vector mosquitoes. A number of challenges for their use in the area-wide genetic control of vector-borne disease have been identified. These include the development of target site resistance, their long-term efficacy in the field, their molecular complexity, and the practical and legal limitations for field testing of both gene drive and coupled anti-pathogen traits. To address these challenges, we have evaluated the concept of Integral Gene Drive (IGD) as an alternative paradigm for population replacement. IGDs incorporate a minimal set of molecular components, including both the drive and the anti-pathogen effector elements directly embedded within endogenous genes – an arrangement which we refer to as gene “hijacking”. This design would allow autonomous and non-autonomous IGD traits and strains to be generated, tested, optimized, regulated and imported independently. We performed quantitative modelling comparing IGDs with classical replacement drives and show that selection for the function of the hijacked host gene can significantly reduce the establishment of resistant alleles in the population while hedging drive over multiple genomic loci prolongs the duration of transmission blockage in the face of pre-existing target-site variation. IGD thus has the potential to yield more durable and flexible population replacement traits.</jats:p>
AU  - Nash,A
AU  - Urdaneta,GM
AU  - K,Beaghton A
AU  - Hoermann,A
AU  - Aris,Papathanos P
AU  - Christophides,GK
AU  - Windbichler,N
DO  - 10.1101/356998
PY  - 2018///
TI  - Integral Gene Drives: an “operating system” for population replacement
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/356998
ER  -
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