Designer cells controlled by synthetic genomes.

我实验室的研究使用合成生物学来解决我们这个时代一些最紧迫的挑战，比如对食物、清洁水、燃料和关键药物的需求增加。为了实现这些目标，我正在开发分子工具，用于生成由合成基因组编程的设计生物。DNA合成技术预计将在不久的将来变得更加强大和负担得起，这要归功于一项名为Genome Project write （GP-write）的新的全球合作努力。GP-write计划在未来十年投资30亿美元，以降低合成DNA的成本。为了利用这种快速发展的DNA合成技术，需要开发移动和存储大型合成DNA片段的改进方法。因此，我提出了一种有效的方法，将合成基因组构建和安装到细胞的细胞器中，如线粒体（细胞的“发电厂”）和叶绿体（细胞在光合作用中使用的光收集工厂）。这一研究项目将促进对加拿大人有更大价值的生物和技术的生产：具有新的生物功能的作物，如固氮，以减少对肥料的需求；具有较高脂质含量的藻类菌株可提供廉价的生物燃料来源；以及与线粒体基因组受损相关的疾病的医学治疗，比如糖尿病、耳聋和帕金森症。此外，该项目将为新一代科学家提供尖端的合成生物学培训，如分子DNA克隆，DNA合成和全基因组移植等技术。在他们的培训结束时，我的学员将有知识和经验来实现他们自己的设计生物的想法，这将有助于在加拿大提供新的专利技术和新的生物技术公司的发展。

Research in my laboratory uses Synthetic Biology to solve some of the most pressing challenges of our times, such as increased demand for food, clean water, fuel, and crucial medicines. To achieve these goals, I am developing molecular tools for generating designer organisms that are programmed by synthetic genomes. DNA synthesis technology is predicted to become much more powerful and affordable in the near future, thanks to a new global collaborative effort named Genome Project write (GP-write). GP-write aims to invest up to $3 billion USD over the next ten years to reduce the cost of creating synthetic DNA. To take advantage of this rapidly advancing DNA synthesis technology, improved methods for moving and storing large synthetic DNA fragments need to be developed. Thus, I propose an efficient method for construction and installation of synthetic genomes into a cell's organelles, such as mitochondriathe cell's “power plant”and chloroplaststhe cell's light-harvesting factory used in photosynthesis. This research program will enable the production of organisms and technologies with greater value for Canadians: crop plants with new biological functions, such as nitrogen fixation, to reduce the need for fertilizers; algal strains with higher lipid content to provide a cheap source of biofuels; and medical treatments for diseases associated with damaged mitochondrial genomes, such as some cases of diabetes, deafness, and Parkinson's. Moreover, this project will provide cutting-edge Synthetic Biology training for a new generation of scientists in techniques such as molecular DNA cloning, DNA synthesis, and whole-genome transplantation. At the end of their training, my trainees will have the knowledge and experience to implement their own ideas for designer organisms, which will help furnish the development of new patented technologies and new biotech companies in Canada.