New initiative supports synthetic biology research in Cardiff

Academics from across Cardiff University get the chance to develop new research focused on synthetic biology as part of a significant financial commitment from Cardiff University.

The Cardiff Synthetic Biology Initiative is designed to fund a number of short (approx. 12 month) projects for the purpose of promoting and developing the exciting area of synthetic biology in Cardiff. A key part of this initiative is also to support the career progression and retention of exceptional research staff that will develop their careers in synthetic biology. The fund also aims to facilitate involvement with the Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) in Synthetic Biology at Imperial College (SynbiCITE), of which Cardiff University is an academic partner.

Professor Jim Murray, who leads the Cardiff Synthetic Biology Initiative at Cardiff says, “Synthetic Biology brings together a diverse range of activities across engineering, computing, physical and biological and biomolecular sciences to focus on solutions to some of the Grand Challenges the world faces today. Our aim is not only to increase understanding of the complex processes occurring within biological systems from whole organisms to the cellular and molecular scales, but to develop new ways to harness this understanding for useful purposes in industry, medicine, agriculture and elsewhere. For example, we want to develop techniques for the fabrication of new types of devices with biological sensing components, which means working at the interface of physical and biological systems. We also want to research methods for making useful new chemicals by reprogramming biological systems to manufacture them for us, in ways that will be cleaner and greener than conventional chemical industry.”

“Our vision is to create a dynamic centre of entrepreneurial synthetic biology at Cardiff, and we are excited to be part of the national centre at SynbiCITE and the opportunities that this provides to build further on our collaborations with industry to commercialise new products and services in this rapidly expanding area”.

Five synthetic biology projects have already been awarded under this scheme to researchers in the schools of Chemistry, Engineering and Biosciences, highlighting the cross-disciplinary nature of this rapidly expanding area of research. 

Synthetic biology involves designing new systems from a “toolbox” of biological components, essentially like designing and assembling a new electronic circuit. Or it can involve the re-programming and re-design of naturally-occurring biological systems. The aim is to produce reliable products for use in a wide range of applications. By applying engineering principles to biology, synthetic biology has the potential to provide novel solutions to some of the major challenges that we face in society, in areas such as healthcare, energy and the environment. All this is possible because we have made dramatic progress over the past decade in our understanding of biological systems, together with enormous strides in how we synthesise and analyse DNA.

A current holder of a Cardiff Synthetic Biology Initiative award is Professor Eshwar Mahenthiralingam of Cardiff School of Biosciences who is laying the foundation for synthetic engineering of Burkholderia bacteria, as a novel host or “chassis” for use in synthetic biology: “Burkholderia bacteria occur widely in nature, particularly around the roots of important crops. They carry out many important functions such as making antibiotics, commercial enzymes, breaking down pollutants, promoting plant growth and protecting crops from disease. By engineering and exploitation these beneficial functions, we have an exciting opportunity to deliver a suite of synthetic biology tools for research and ultimately wider biotechnological use”.

A new call has now been announced, inviting further applications for new research projects in synthetic biology, up to a maximum of £46.5K. The major aims of the Cardiff Synthetic Biology Initiative are:

  • To train or retrain interested and motivated postdoctoral researchers to provide essential research skills for synthetic biology
  • To provide data and track record in order to obtain external funds through SynbiCITE, RCUK, industry etc. as well as independent career development fellowships in synthetic biology within the next 1-2 years.