Review
Immunology
Julie M. Garcia, Cassandra E. Burnett, Kole T. Roybal
Summary: Synthetic biology tools, such as chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), have shown promise in targeting and improving immune cell responses to tumors, particularly in curing blood cancers. However, there are challenges in designing and translating these complex cell therapies for patients with immune refractory solid tumors. This article focuses on principles for engineering future cell therapies to increase clinical impact and provides an overview of the current state of synbio cell therapy design for cancer.
IMMUNOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tianchi Chen, M. Ali Al-Radhawi, Christopher A. Voigt, Eduardo D. Sontag
Summary: A design for genetically encoded counters using repressor-based circuits is proposed, allowing for scalable computation and bypassing limitations on maximal circuit genes per cell. The design utilizes distributed computation with specialized cell types and connector modules for interconnecting single-bit counters to achieve an N-bit counter. An optimization framework is used to determine gate parameters and guide the construction of novel gates, moving towards circuits capable of finite automaton computation akin to central processing units.
Review
Engineering, Biomedical
Jordan J. Green
Summary: Immunoengineering is a rapidly developing field that applies engineering tools and principles to investigate and modulate the immune system. It has the potential to revolutionize technologies in tissue engineering, drug delivery, and medical devices, and can provide new tools for biomedical discovery and innovation in novel ways to treat various diseases. Additionally, there is a growing focus on creating immunoengineering centers and educational programs in leading universities, with major investments from grant agencies and the development of high-impact research and translational biotechnologies.
JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH PART A
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Harold M. McNamara, Beatrice Ramm, Jared E. Toettcher
Summary: Technological advances have contributed to recent developments in developmental biology, such as light sheet imaging for studying single-cell dynamics and single-cell genomic methods for cataloguing cell types and gene expression states. Synthetic approaches are also emerging to understand development processes from the bottom up, including synthetic circuits for signaling delivery and recording, and synthetic reconstitution of pattern formation on multicellular scales.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Savio S. Ferreira, Mauricio S. Antunes
Summary: Efforts to manipulate the biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids for various applications have faced challenges such as pathway complexity and metabolic burden. The use of biosensors and genetic circuits could be a promising approach to dynamically regulate the metabolic status of the pathway and enhance the development of phenylpropanoid-producing plant biofactories in plant synthetic biology.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qiwen Wang, Zhehui Hu, Zhixuan Li, Tiangang Liu, Guangkai Bian
Summary: Engineered living materials (ELMs) represent a significant paradigm shift in material design, possessing unique living attributes and unprecedented potential in various fields. This review provides an overview of the latest research progress and design strategies for ELMs derived from bacteria, fungi, and plants, and offers valuable references for future ELM design and application. The investigation into synergistic application possibilities among different species of ELMs provides beneficial information for researchers and practitioners in this field.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Roberto Di Blasi, Annalise Zouein, Tom Ellis, Francesca Ceroni
Summary: Construction of DNA-encoded programs is crucial in synthetic biology, with Golden Gate toolkits now dominating due to their modular design. Future advances include accessory packs for cloning toolkits to facilitate editing, orthogonality, advanced regulation, and integration into synthetic chromosome construction.
TRENDS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Luna Rizik, Loai Danial, Mouna Habib, Ron Weiss, Ramez Daniel
Summary: Researchers have utilized the perceptgene technology to create synthetic gene circuits based on the computational properties of neuronal networks. These circuits can perform non-binary logic computation and signal processing, and can be modified for different tasks by adjusting parameters.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Mengting Ding, Jiaxing Lin, Caipeng Qin, Ping Wei, Jiahe Tian, Tianxin Lin, Tao Xu
Summary: This review discusses the innovative applications of synthetic biology in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer, including the utilization of genetic elements to regulate gene expression, the design of gene circuits to distinguish cancer cells from normal cells, genetically modified T cells for targeted attacks, and synthetic nanomaterials for detecting and killing BC cells.
CHINESE MEDICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Ivan Reyna-Llorens, Miquel Ferro-Costa, Steven J. Burgess
Summary: This review discusses the role of protoplasts in the 'design-build-test-learn' cycle in synthetic biology and their potential impact on other areas of research. Protoplasts, plant cells with their cell walls removed, have been used for genetic transformation and studying plant physiology and genetics for decades. With the emergence of synthetic biology, protoplasts play a crucial role in speeding up the research cycle. However, challenges remain in fully exploiting their potential in synthetic biology.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2023)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Angel Leon-Buitimea, Francisco de Jesus Balderas-Cisneros, Cesar Rodolfo Garza-Cardenas, Javier Alberto Garza-Cervantes, Jose Ruben Morones-Ramirez
Summary: With the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, there is a global health crisis. Overuse, inappropriate prescribing, and lack of innovation have led to an increase in microorganisms that can overcome traditional antimicrobial treatments. Synthetic biology offers a promising strategy to develop new antimicrobial therapies through the engineering of control systems in microbial cells.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Taylor A. Poor, Navdeep S. Chandel
Summary: Mitochondria, cellular organelles, possess their own DNA and RNA. A recent study discovered that the molecule fumarate can induce the release of these nucleic acids into the cytosol, leading to abnormal inflammation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Noreen Wauford, Akshay Patel, Jesse Tordoff, Casper Enghuus, Andrew Jin, Jack Toppen, Melissa L. Kemp, Ron Weiss
Summary: During development, cells undergo symmetry breaking and self-organize into complex structures. This study presents a stochastic genetic switch that is tunable by small molecules, allowing for programmable symmetry breaking, commitment to downstream cell fates, and morphological self-organization. The switch can control the cell-cell adhesion properties and generate a wide variety of 3D morphologies. The findings provide new insights into the relationship between cell-cell adhesion strengths and downstream morphologies, and suggest that programmable symmetry breaking could be used in complex tissue and organoid engineering.
News Item
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Philip Ball
Summary: A pair of studies highlight ethical and legal concerns surrounding the status of lab-grown human embryo models.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Andrew Lezia, Arianna Miano, Jeff Hasty
Summary: The design and construction of synthetic gene circuits have made significant progress, with applications in medicine, biosensing, and industrial chemical production. The focus has shifted from isolated circuits to complex systems, and design methods now include detailed models of host genome interaction with synthetic gene circuits.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rogelio A. Hernandez-Lopez, Wei Yu, Katelyn A. Cabral, Olivia A. Creasey, Maria Del Pilar Lopez Pazmino, Yurie Tonai, Arsenia De Guzman, Anna Makela, Kalle Saksela, Zev J. Gartner, Wendell A. Lim
Summary: The study engineered a two-step positive-feedback circuit that enables human cytotoxic T cells to discriminate targets based on a sigmoidal antigen-density threshold. This circuit involves a low-affinity synthetic Notch receptor controlling the expression of a high-affinity CAR, leading to sharp discrimination between cancer cells and normal cells based on antigen density.
Article
Microbiology
Tanya M. Monaghan, Rima N. Biswas, Rupam R. Nashine, Samidha S. Joshi, Benjamin H. Mullish, Anna M. Seekatz, Jesus Miguens Blanco, Julie A. K. McDonald, Julian R. Marchesi, Tung On Yau, Niki Christodoulou, Maria Hatziapostolou, Maja Pucic-Bakovic, Frano Vuckovic, Filip Klicek, Gordan Lauc, Ning Xue, Tania Dottorini, Shrikant Ambalkar, Ashish Satav, Christos Polytarchou, Animesh Acharjee, Rajpal Singh Kashyap
Summary: Non-communicable diseases have become a major cause of morbidity and mortality in India, particularly among susceptible Asian Indians. This study identified multiple dysmetabolic traits in urbanites and young overweight adults, highlighting the complex interactions between host-microbiome and metabolic factors in predicting risk of metabolic disorders like diabetes. Further exploration of these links may help in designing early interventions to manage and prevent NCDs.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Daniel Hoces, Jiayi Lan, Wenfei Sun, Tobias Geiser, Melanie L. Staubli, Elisa Cappio Barazzone, Markus Arnoldini, Tenagne D. Challa, Manuel Klug, Alexandra Kellenberger, Sven Nowok, Erica Faccin, Andrew J. Macpherson, Baerbel Stecher, Shinichi Sunagawa, Renato Zenobi, Wolf-Dietrich Hardt, Christian Wolfrum, Emma Slack
Summary: The intestinal microbiota can degrade indigestible food components to improve energy recovery. This study found that the energy released by the microbiota is balanced by decreased food intake in mice. Furthermore, the type of respiratory substrates used in metabolism differs between different microbiota groups, affecting energy storage and fat accumulation.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Anna Cherta-Murillo, Nathan P. Danckert, Maria Valdivia-Garcia, Edward S. Chambers, Lauren Roberts, Jesus Miguens-Blanco, Julie A. K. McDonald, Julien R. Marchesi, Gary S. Frost
Summary: High-fibre diets, including mycoprotein (Quorn), have positive effects on glycemic control and appetite. However, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCES AND NUTRITION
(2023)
Article
Biology
Daniel Hoces, Giorgia Greter, Markus Arnoldini, Melanie L. Staubli, Claudia Moresi, Anna Sintsova, Sara Berent, Isabel Kolinko, Florence Bansept, Aurore Woller, Janine Hafliger, Eric Martens, Wolf-Dietrich Hardt, Shinichi Sunagawa, Claude Loverdo, Emma Slack
Summary: This study used genetically barcoded Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron strains to quantify population bottlenecks during colonization of the mouse gut. The results showed an inverse relationship between microbiota complexity and the colonization probability of wildtype B. theta clones. The polysaccharide capsule of B. theta is important for resistance against attacks, and the acapsular strain loses in competitive colonization.
Meeting Abstract
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
J. Lo, D. Cozzetto, M. Madgwick, J. Y. X. S. Sieh, M. Olbei, J. L. Alexander, J. Miguens Blanco, H. Kudo, H. Ibraheim, Z. Liu, R. Castro Seoane, R. Goldin, J. Marchesi, T. Korcsmaros, G. Lord, N. Powell
JOURNAL OF CROHNS & COLITIS
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Immunology
Jonathan Wai Pang Lo, Domenico Cozzetto, Jillian Yong Xin Sieh, James L. Alexander, Jesus Miguens Blanco, Matthew Madgwick, Tamas Korcsmaros, Hiromi Kudo, Robert Goldin, Julian Marchesi, Graham M. Lord, Nick Powell
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Jessica R. Allegretti, Colleen R. Kelly, Ari Grinspan, Benjamin H. Mullish, Jonathan Hurtado, Madeline Carrellas, Jenna Marcus, Julian R. Marchesi, Julie A. K. McDonald, Ylaine Gerardin, Michael Silverstein, Alexandros Pechlivanis, Grace F. Barker, Jesus Miguens Blanco, James L. Alexander, Kate Gallagher, Will Pettee, Emmalee Phelps, Sara Nemes, Sashidhar Sagi, Matthew Bohm, Zain Kassam, Monika Fischer
Summary: This study explored the use of FMT in patients with IBD-CDI and found that it may lead to improvements in IBD outcomes among patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The study suggests that FMT could be a potential treatment option for these patients with recurrent CDI.
INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES
(2021)
Meeting Abstract
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Roberta Forlano, Benjamin H. Mullish, Jesus Miguens Blanco, Nathan Danckert, Mark Thursz, Pinelopi Manousou
JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY
(2021)
Meeting Abstract
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
David J. Pinato, Alessio Cortellini, Cristina Balcells, Saskia Killmer, Thomas Talbot, Robert Thomas, Anwar A. Sayed, Elias Allara, Paul Tait, Paul Ross, Anna Mary Young, Tom Cole, Robert D. Goldin, Caroline Ward, Ayse Akarca, Jesus Miguens Blanco, Teresa Marafioti, Hector Keun, Alexandros Siskos, Julian Marchesi, Bertram Bengsch, Rohini Sharma
JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY
(2021)
Meeting Abstract
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Lindsey A. Edwards, Charlotte Woodhouse, Benjamin H. Mullish, Thomas Tranah, Jesus Miguens Blanco, Victoria Kronsten, Ane Zamalloa, Vishal C. Patel, Julian Marchesi, Simon Goldenberg, Debbie L. Shawcross
JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY
(2021)
Meeting Abstract
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Shiva T. Radhakrishnan, Benjamin H. Mullish, Kate Gallagher, James L. Alexander, Nathan P. Danckert, Jesus Miguens Blanco, Jose I. Serrano-Contreras, Maria Valdivia-Garcia, Billy J. Hopkins, Anik Ghai, Jia V. Li, Julian Marchesi, Horace R. Williams