A synthetic biology toolbox for electronic control of gene expression

用于电子控制基因表达的合成生物学工具箱

• 批准号: 2279868
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Imperial College London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2019 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2279868
• 关键词: synthetic; biology; toolbox; electronic; control

The 20th Century was characterized by the growth of a myriad of technologies based on digital electronics. Engineering of biological systems has the potential to be similarly revolutionary in the 21st Century. Before this dream can be realized, however, precise, programmable control of complex biological systems needs to become simpler, and the interface with other engineered technologies needs to be made more robust. In this project, the student will develop a modular system for interfacing electronic signals with engineered cells. The proposed mechanism utilizes electrochemical oxidation and reduction of redox molecules at electrodes, and the subsequent activation of redox-sensitive transcription factors in the vicinity of those electrodes. The electrogenetic module will allow implementation of precise spatio-temporal control of biological systems from a smartphone or personal computer, with applications in bioproduction, biomaterials, biosensors, diagnostics and more.

20世纪的特点是以数字电子为基础的无数技术的发展。生物系统工程在21世纪也具有同样革命性的潜力。然而，在实现这一梦想之前，复杂生物系统的精确、可编程控制需要变得更简单，与其他工程技术的接口需要变得更强大。在这个项目中，学生将开发一个模块化系统，用于将电子信号与工程细胞连接起来。所提出的机制利用电极上氧化还原分子的电化学氧化和还原，以及随后在这些电极附近激活氧化还原敏感转录因子。电遗传学模块将允许通过智能手机或个人电脑实现对生物系统的精确时空控制，应用于生物生产、生物材料、生物传感器、诊断等领域。