14TSB_SynBio A High Throughput Miniaturised Mass Spectrometry Tool for Profiling Synthetic Design Libraries

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Over the last 10 years, the new field of synthetic biology has advanced the existing science of genetic modification by applying principles of engineering; design, simulation and testing. This approach has allowed us to predictably create exciting new technologies by modifying safe microbes with customised DNA to perform new tasks including computation, multi-input environmental sensing and efficient production of medicinal drugs and bioenergy, primarily through metabolic pathway engineering. As our ability to write DNA and engineer microbes accelerates, we are becoming limited by the lack of high-data, high-throughput cell measurement methods available with which to assess the performance of customised strains. The project links foundational synthetic biology and DNA assembly expertise at Imperial College London with microfluidics and mass spectrometry expertise at the industrial partner, Sphere Fluidics Limited, in order to build, test and demonstrate a novel microfluidics-mass spectrometry tool that should allow in-depth measurement of the performance of thousands of engineered microbes per run. The intention of the project is to develop an equipment set-up (interfaced microfluidics and mass spectrometry) and a methodology that together is a platform tool with which to characterise collections of thousands of engineered microbe strains. This tool can then be sold downstream as a service (or as an equipment set-up) for companies and institutions involved in synthetic biology.