Collaborative Research: Engineering Genetically Augmented Polymers (GAPS)

合作研究：工程基因增强聚合物 (GAPS)

• 批准号: 0943383
• 负责人: Andrew Ellington
• 金额: $ 49.06万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Austin
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-08-01 至 2014-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0943383&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Engineering; Genetically; Augmented

Synthetic biology is an emerging field that involves the design or re-design and manufacture of new biologically-inspired parts, modules, devices and systems. This has two major outputs. First, it tests scientific understanding of how life works and how it can be re-engineered at the most fundamental level. Second, it promises to put biological systems on a more modular and rational footing for subsequent engineering efforts. Foundational technologies need to be developed to make synthetic biology modular, scalable, and programmable. This project seeks to address this challenge by expanding biological space with Genetically Augmented PolymerS (GAPS) that will enable the design and manufacture of programmable networks and novel chemical function. Nucleobase amino acids (NAAs) will be synthesized and incorporated into natural polymers, proteins (pGAPS), and chemical polymers, polyvinyl nucleobases (cGAPS). In essence, by giving proteins and cells the ability to 'talk' with one another using the same code that DNA and RNA uses this proposal seeks to create a programmable ur-cell for biomedical engineering. This work will catalyze a new paradigm for engineering both chemical and biological systems. By melding the complexity and diversity of Biology with the predictability and high scalability of Chemistry, GAPS will pioneer new directions in synthetic biology. The addition of genetic information to proteins and cells will in general make biology more modular, scalable, and programmable. This should in turn enable the rational design and re-design of biological systems for compelling applications, such as controlling the wiring of interactomes and rationally modulating and programming cell function. For example, it should be possible to re-wire signaling pathways on a protein-by-protein basis, and to engineer tissues in a way that allows the precise, genetically-encoded placement of individual cells. Broader impact: In addition to creating a wholly new ur-cell platform for synthetic biology applications, the formation of a strong a UK-US team will have a considerable impact on the global leadership by these two countries in synthetic biology. The readily grasped goals of this project (programmable cells, replicating plastic) will provide opportunities for showing the public that synthetic biology is a field that yields translational technologies that can impact their own lives. Following up on the goals of the Sandpit, the international research team will establish and maintain a valuable network that provides for competitive, interdisciplinary, and globally-engaged research. This network will directly reach out to and involve students in synthetic biology (via iGEM, the Freshman Research Initiative, and "Current Protocols in Synthetic Biology"), and will begin to train a new generation of engineers who are comfortable operating between disciplines, labs, and continents. Moreover, the network will be of great use in engaging public interest and educating policy makers about the threats and benefits of synthetic biology, overall raising awareness of the ethical, legal and social impacts of synthetic biology.

合成生物学是一个新兴的领域，它涉及设计或重新设计和制造受生物启发的新部件、模块、设备和系统。这有两个主要输出。首先，它测试了对生命如何运作的科学理解，以及如何在最根本的层面上重新设计生命。其次，它承诺为后续的工程努力将生物系统置于更加模块化和合理的基础上。需要开发基础技术，使合成生物学模块化、可扩展和可编程。该项目寻求通过利用基因增强型聚合物(GAP)扩大生物空间来应对这一挑战，这将使可编程网络和新的化学功能的设计和制造成为可能。核酸基氨基酸(NaAs)将被合成并结合到天然聚合物，蛋白质(PGAPS)和化学聚合物，聚乙烯基核酸基(CGAPS)。从本质上讲，通过赋予蛋白质和细胞使用与DNA和RNA相同的代码进行相互对话的能力，这一提议旨在为生物医学工程创造一种可编程的ur-cell。这项工作将催生化学和生物系统工程的新范式。通过将生物学的复杂性和多样性与化学的可预测性和高可扩展性相结合，GAP将开创合成生物学的新方向。将遗传信息添加到蛋白质和细胞中，通常会使生物学更具模块化、可伸缩性和可编程性。这反过来又应该使生物系统的合理设计和重新设计成为可能，例如控制相互作用的布线和合理地调节和编程细胞功能。例如，应该有可能在逐个蛋白质的基础上重新连接信号通路，并以一种允许精确的、以基因编码的方式放置单个细胞的方式来设计组织。更广泛的影响：除了为合成生物学应用创建一个全新的ur-cell平台外，组建一个强大的英美团队将对这两个国家在合成生物学领域的全球领导地位产生相当大的影响。这个项目容易掌握的目标(可编程细胞、复制塑料)将提供机会，向公众展示合成生物学是一个产生翻译技术的领域，可以影响他们自己的生活。根据沙坑的目标，国际研究团队将建立和维护一个有价值的网络，为竞争性、跨学科和全球参与的研究提供支持。这个网络将直接接触和参与合成生物学的学生(通过iGEM，新生研究计划和“合成生物学的当前协议”)，并将开始培养适应在不同学科、实验室和大陆之间操作的新一代工程师。此外，该网络将在参与公共利益和教育政策制定者有关合成生物学的威胁和好处方面发挥巨大作用，全面提高人们对合成生物学的伦理、法律和社会影响的认识。