Deploying Synthetic Biology in the Water Industry

城市供水系统是任何现代社会的重要基础，影响着数百万人的生活质量。关键的挑战是，尽管城市化程度提高，基础设施老化，气候条件不断变化，但仍要以可持续的方式继续提供安全的水供应、卫生的环境和良好的环境管理。为了实现绩效目标，目前的管理策略往往侧重于基于化学或物理的技术-这是昂贵的和能源密集型的。在这个跨学科的可行性报告中，我们的目标是研究工程新型生物解决方案（合成生物学）的可行性，以产生更可持续的解决方案来应对这些挑战，而不需要大量的基础设施投资或能源使用。合成生物学是一个新兴的科学领域，它将工程原理应用于生物学。本质上，合成生物学的主要概念是利用生物学知识和工程设计原理，设计和构建新的生物部件和装置，制造具有自然界中没有的特征的新生物系统，以及重新设计或重新设计现有的生物系统以实现更有用的目的。因此，要在这一新领域取得成功，就需要工程师和科学家在适当的道德、社会和法律的框架内进行沟通、凝聚和协作。一个首要目标是为人类的利益而制造东西。合成生物学在水行业的应用具有高度的投机性，因此我们将专注于测试解决两个重要问题的科学可行性-病原体检测和下水道洪水。相关的社会互动也将进行调查，因为这些可能会导致水行业采用这种新技术的障碍，鉴于其受监管的性质，通常不会与潜在争议技术的实施有关。由这个外向型和合作可行性账户支持的活动将巩固奔宁水务集团（PWG）的核心和新兴优势，并利用BBSRC资助的谢菲尔德合成生物学网络MATE的专业知识。相互关联的研究主题包括（1）整个饮用水供应中的病原体检测（2）现有下水道网络基础设施中的性能增强和（3）技术发展和应用的社会背景。这些主题将通过围绕研讨会、科学方案和专门的传播期和提案编制期开展的一系列活动来解决，以在本账户的生命周期之外扩大合成生物学在水行业的应用。

Urban water systems are key foundations of any modern society, impacting on the quality of life of millions of people. The key challenge is to continue to maintain the provision of safe water supplies, hygienic sanitation and good environmental management in a sustainable manner in spite of increased urbanisation, aging infrastructure and changing climate conditions. To achieve performance targets, current management strategies often focus on chemical or physical based techniques - which are expensive and energy intensive. In this cross disciplinary feasibility account, we aim to study the feasibility of engineering novel biological solutions ( Synthetic Biology ) to generate more sustainable solutions to these challenges without the need for large infrastructure investment or energy use. Synthetic biology is an emerging scientific field that applies engineering principles to biology. In essence, synthetic biology's main concept is to design and construct new biological parts and devices, using biological knowledge and engineering design principles, to manufacture new biological systems with features not found in nature, as well as re-designing or re-engineering existing biological systems for more useful purposes. Therefore, success in this new area requires communication, cohesion and collaboration from engineers and scientists within an appropriate ethical, social and legal framework. An overarching aim is to make things for the benefit of mankind. Synthetic biology's use in the water industry is highly speculative and so we will focus on testing the scientific feasibility of addressing two significant issues - pathogen detection and sewer flooding. The associated social interactions will also be investigated as these may result in barriers to uptake of this novel technology by the water industry, which, given its regulated nature is not normally associated with the implementation of potentially controversial technology. The activities supported by this outward looking and collaborative feasibility account will consolidate the core and emerging strengths of the Pennine Water Group (PWG) with expertise of the BBSRC funded Sheffield Synthetic Biology network MATEs. Interconnected research themes include (1) pathogen detection throughout the potable water supply (2) performance enhancement within existing sewer network infrastructure and (3) social contexts of technological developments and applications. These themes will be addressed through a series of activities based around workshops, scientific programmes and dedicated periods of dissemination and proposal preparation to extend the application of synthetic biology in the water industry beyond the lifespan of this account.