BrisSynBio: Bristol Centre for Synthetic Biology

合成生物学是一门新的科学学科，旨在使生物系统的工程更容易，更可预测和更可靠。合成生物学家的目标是开发新的技术、技术和试剂，使生物或基于生物的产品能够容易、快速和廉价地制造出来，并且数量足够，使它们有用。这一领域的进步有可能为我们提供新的燃料、材料、诊断和药物，并为我们今天面临的许多重大全球挑战提供解决方案。例如，为世界人口提供足够的食物，减少我们对化石燃料的依赖。然而，合成生物学要应对这些挑战，将需要大批科学家以团队的形式共同努力，结合他们的专长、技能和知识。为了实现这一目标，我们的目标是建立BrisSynBio (BSB)，一个位于布里斯托尔的合成生物学研究中心，它将汇集一群来自不同研究背景的科学家，例如生物学，化学，计算机科学，工程和机器人，数学和物理。BSB研究人员将以这样一种方式结合他们的专业知识，以迎接和解决全球挑战。BSB科学家将开展的工作类型包括：修改微生物的生物合成途径，以生产新的抗生素；组装病毒样颗粒，为疫苗提供新的途径；从零开始构建简单的细胞，用于生产重要但有时有毒的化学物质；利用红细胞将抗癌药物等复杂分子直接输送到肿瘤；重新编程细菌来执行有用的任务，比如感知环境污染物。在BSB内，研究人员将被组织成具有互补技能的团队，他们将共同致力于这些具有挑战性的项目。团队之间会有很多交流，新的令人兴奋的研究将会出现。各小组将通过跨领域的主题联系在一起，以促进跨学科和思想交流。为了进一步促进和发展互动，BSB学者将参加每月的讨论会议，所有BSB学者和研究人员将参加每月的研究研讨会和每年为期两天的区域研讨会。布里斯托尔大学最近在新建筑和实验室空间上投入了大量资金，非常适合BSB的居住。现在，我们需要进一步的投资来购买必要的设备，以支持和推进我们的研究，并吸引更多的科学家来扩大合成生物学的活动。我们还将与一系列不同的项目合作伙伴合作，包括来自世界各地的研究人员、公众和政策制定者以及实业家，这样我们就可以最大限度地发挥BrisSynBio的影响。最后，合成生物学并非没有争议，对生物学和生命进行修补的概念并不是每个人都能接受的。因此，非常重要的是，所有的BrisSynBio成员都要接受培训，考虑他们工作的伦理、法律和社会影响，把它放在更广泛的社会背景下。为实现这一目标，BSB成员将接受负责任创新和公众参与方面的培训，并鼓励他们将这些新技能付诸实践，在适当的时候将他们的工作商业化，并在6个月的科学咖啡馆和公众对话中进行实践。

Synthetic biology is a new scientific discipline that aims to make the engineering of biological systems easier, more predictable and more reliable. Synthetic biologists aim to develop new techniques, technologies and reagents that will allow biological or biologically based products to be made easily, quickly and cheaply, and in sufficient quantities to make them useful. Advances in this area have the potential to provide us with new fuels, materials, diagnostics and medicines, and offer solutions to many of the major global challenges that we face today. For example providing sufficient food for the world's population and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.For synthetic biology to meet these challenges, however, will require the concerted efforts of large groups of scientists working together in teams combining their expertise, skills and knowledge. To achieve this we aim to establish BrisSynBio (BSB), a Bristol-based Synthetic Biology Research Centre, which will bring together a group of scientists from a range of different research backgrounds, e.g. biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering and robotics, mathematics and physics.BSB researchers will combine their expertise in such a way that global challenges can be met and resolved. Examples of the type of work that BSB scientists will carry out include: modifying biosynthetic pathways in microorganisms such to produce new antibiotics; assembling virus-like particles to present new routes to vaccines; building simple cells from scratch for use in the production of important but sometimes toxic chemicals; using red blood cells to deliver complex molecules like anti-cancer drugs directly to tumours; and reprograming bacteria to perform useful tasks like sensing environmental pollutants.Within the BSB, researchers will be organised into teams with complementary skills who will work together on these challenging projects. There will be lots of communication between the teams, and new and exciting research will emerge as a result. Teams will be linked together by cross-cutting themes to promote interdisciplinarity and exchange of ideas. To help foster and develop interactions further, BSB academics will attend monthly discussion meetings, and all BSB academics and researchers will attend monthly research seminars and an annual 2-day regional symposium.The University of Bristol has recently invested heavily in new buildings and laboratory space, perfect for housing BSB. Now we need further investment to purchase the essential equipment that we will need to underpin and progress our research, and also to attract more scientists to expand synthetic-biology activities. We will also work in collaboration with a range of different project partners including researchers form around the world, the public and policy makers, and industrialists, such that we can maximise the impact of BrisSynBio.Finally, synthetic biology is not without controversy, the notion of tinkering with biology and life does not sit comfortably with everyone. Therefore, it is very important that all BrisSynBio members are trained to consider the ethical, legal and social implications of their work, placing it in a broader societal context. To achieve this BSB members will be trained in responsible innovation and public engagement, and encouraged to put these new skills into practice through commercialising their work where appropriate, and at 6-monthly science cafes and public dialogues.