Synthetic Biology index

Cambridge website for Synthetic Biology Resources

Compiled by Jim Haseloff at the University of Cambridge

This site contains details of recent papers and activity in Synthetic Biology, with particular emphasis on: (i) development of standards in biology and DNA biobricks , (ii) microbial and (iii) plant systems, (iv) hardware for scientific computing and instrumentation, (v) tools for scientific productivity and (vi) collected miscellany.

The site also contains details of Synthetic Biology research and teaching at the University of Cambridge, including the annual iGEM team run by Jim Ajioka, Jim Haseloff and Gos Micklem in Cambridge.

24 Jan 2012

Sainsbury Undergraduate Studentships

These prestigious studentships are offered to up to seven students each year.

The total amount of the award is £4,000. This is broken down into £1000 payable to the student on commencement of the studentship after a successful interview. If the student opts to work in a lab over summer then £1500 is payable to the student in June/July with £500 going towards lab costs. The final £1000 is payable to the student upon satisfactory reports (or presentation of poster at the Network Meeting) in the December.

The scheme is designed to be flexible. A student can propose to:
- work in a research laboratory over the summer vacation (not in a lab run by their mentor or at their place of study) to gain valuable experience. Research projects can be in any area of plant science.
- provide an opportunity to travel to, and attendance at, plant-related conferences
- purchase books or subscriptions to journals/scientific magazines
- fund the cost of field work.

Successful students are eligible to compete for a Sainsbury PhD Studentship starting in October 2013 and will be invited to attend the 2012 Gatsby Plant Science Network meeting and the 2013 Gatsby training weekend.

Please supply a covering letter (including why you are interested in plant science, what you intend to do with the funding and what you ultimately hope to achieve) and your cv, to Julian Hibberd at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by 15th February 2012.

17 Jan 2012

BBC Horizon covers Cambridge iGEM2012

Adam Rutherford meets the Cambridge iGEM2011 team, and Cat McMurran describes the use of squid reflectins as a biological source of iridescence. The iGEM team built reflectin biobricks for expression of the protein and production of iridescent films that response dynamically to changes in hydration. A video clip of the interview can be found here at the BBC website. The full programme is broadcast on Feb 17th at 9:30pm on BBC2, or can be played back on the BBC iPlayer. More information about the iGEM competition at the University of Cambridge can be found at: http://www.synbio.org.uk/cambridge/cambridge-igem-teams.html

14 Jan 2012

Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth report

Two forward-looking reports that address the future of research and development in the UK have been released: Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth, and Strategy for the Life Sciences

BISlifesciences

"...four technology areas have been prioritised for investment. This will offer UK businesses the opportunity to develop the industries of the future. The Technology Strategy Board will focus on synthetic biology, energy efficient computing and energy harvesting."

BISstrategy

"Synthetic Biology: is the design and engineering of novel biologically-based parts, devices and systems, or the redesign of existing biological systems for useful purposes. Estimates put the world market at around $100 billion by 2020. The UK produced 14% of all global research papers between 2005 and 2010. The potential applications include bacteria that feed on pollutants, new biofuels, drought and disease resistant crops. The UK has leading companies in these sectors."

14 Jan 2012

UK government leadership in Synthetic Biology

The UK government announced the intention to establish Synthetic Biology as a major initiative in the UK.

"Synthetic biology has been driven by developments in next generation sequencing, DNA synthesis, and systems engineering. It is a potential platform technology with possible applications including bio-energy, industrial biotechnology and chemicals. I have asked leading researchers and business experts in a group chaired by Dr Lionel Clarke of Shell to produce a synthetic biology roadmap to set out the timeframe and actions to establish a world leading synthetic biology industry in the UK. They should report in the Spring after which we intend to convene a new Synthetic Biology Leadership Council to look at how we can deliver that road map."

See full text of David Willet's speech (Cabinet Minister responsible for Universities and Science in the UK, Policy Exchange, London, Jan 2012)

31 Dec 2011

Motivation and Synthetic Biology

If you have a spare few minutes, sample the embedded video, which contains an animated view of the nature of human motivation, and the role that it plays in getting stuff done in organisations - from Dan Pink (http://www.danpink.com). Pink's views are especially relevant to Synthetic Biology, where bottom-up organisation, self-motivated efforts and open source technologies are so prominent, compared to the conventional biotechnology field. The animation is great - by RSAnimation (http://comment.rsablogs.org.uk/videos/) after a presentation at the Royal Society for Encouragement of Arts Manufactures and Commerce, London.