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Expanding the chemistry of life using synthetic biology

Expanding the chemistry of life using synthetic biology. Jessica Perez Monday, May 5th, 2014. Life is diverse and complex. Biological systems are a powerful, untapped technology. Engineering biology will transform food , energy, chemicals, materials, and medicine.

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Expanding the chemistry of life using synthetic biology

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  1. Expanding the chemistry of life using synthetic biology Jessica Perez Monday, May 5th, 2014

  2. Life is diverse and complex

  3. Biological systems area powerful, untapped technology

  4. Engineering biology will transform food, energy, chemicals, materials, and medicine

  5. Synthetic biology = Biology + Engineering Synthetic Biology is: an emerging field dedicated to designing biological systems to have new functions

  6. “Programming” cells to have new functions

  7. Synthetic Biology is adding new functionality: Bacteria can see light! Jeffrey Tabor et al. Cell, Volume 137, Issue 7, 1272-1281, 26 June 2009

  8. Synthetic Biology is addressing global health: combating malaria 500 million people each year are infected by malaria Artemisinin is harvested from plantations Producing Artemisinin in a microbe lowers cost from $2.40 per dose to $0.25 per dose. Dae-Kyun Ro et al. Nature440, 940-943 Apr 2006

  9. Synthetic Biology is synthesizing small molecules: materials and biofuels - Data from Zach Serber, Amyris

  10. My research focus: Harnessing biology’s biosynthetic potential Biological systems can synthesize proteins very quickly and efficiently: ~15 amino acids/sec/ribosome and 10-4 error rate Can we use bacteria to synthesize proteins made of novel building blocks (amino acids)? Can we produce new materials inside cells?

  11. Central Dogma

  12. Codon table are instructions for translating mRNA code into proteins

  13. 20 amino acids for building life

  14. Expanded chemistry of life using novel amino acids Biocatalysis Structural biology Fluorescent Redox-active and heavy metal containing Biocontainment Therapeutics Engineered organism requires novel amino acids Photo-cross-linkable and unique reactivity

  15. Hijack codon table to encode a new amino acid Novel amino acid

  16. Current challenges in engineering biology to have new functions • Incomplete knowledge of how life works • Unwieldy complexity of cells, unforeseen interference • Living cells have their own growth and adaptation objectives that are usually diametrically opposed to the overproduction of a single biomolecular product

  17. Summary • Research goals: • Expand chemistry of life by making proteins that contain novel amino acids • How am I doing it? • Hijacking stop codons toencode an additional amino acid • Why is this important? • Push the limits of what is possible with biology • Synthesize new materials and medicines

  18. How non-scientists interface with synthetic biology outside the classroom?

  19. How non-scientists interface with synthetic biology outside the classroom?

  20. Case study: replicating synthetic biology in the classroom

  21. Case study: replicating synthetic biology in the classroom Computer Aided Design (CAD) tool for synthetic biology Allows you to visually construct and then simulate/analyze a biological network • HS-ETS1-4: Use a computer simulation for modeling of real-world problems

  22. Questions/Discussion

  23. How I became interested in science Summer engineering programs Problem Solving Interactive Freedom to explore High expectations

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