Biology and Bioengineering: Synthetic Biology Based on Gene Editing and Cell Engineering

Course 8: Biology and Bioengineering: Synthetic Biology Based on Gene Editing and Cell Engineering

1. course description

Synthetic biology is the emerging biology research field in the early 21st century, is in clarify and simulate the basic laws of biosynthesis, achieve artificial design and build a new, specific physiological biological system, thus establishing drugs, functional materials or energy alternatives, it was originally regarded as part of biology, called “a new discipline, it uses engineering principles to design and assemble biological components”.

In this course, students will also learn the basic and in-depth knowledge ideas about synthetic biology and the application of engineered microorganisms within the field of production. In particular, students will learn about the latest synthetic biology tools and how they can be used in sustainable regenerative methods for the manufacture of chemical products, energy sources, and drugs.

II. Professor Introduction

Rodrigo Ledesma Amaro – Professor at Imperial College London

Rodrigo Ledesma Amaro Is a Professor of Synthetic Biology at Imperial College London. He leads a research group combining synthetic biology and metabolic engineering, RLAlab, whose research laboratory in the Department of Bioengineering and the Center for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, works to studying how the development of synthetic biology can revolutionize biotechnology and help us move towards a sustainable bioeconomy. In addition, he has extensive experience in organizing international conferences and teaching courses, and has received many honors, such as the Distinguished Early Career Researcher Chairmans Award from Imperial College London, the Emerging Talent Award from the UK charity SURK, and the Young Researcher Award from the international journal Metabolite.

Professor Rodrigo Ledesma Amaro serves as a reviewer of Nature, Science and other international journals. He has also published many academic papers, such as “Synthetic Biology Tool for Engineering Microbial Communities to serve biotechnology” and “Multiple CRISPR Technologies for Gene Editing and Transcriptional Regulation”.

III. Syllabus

1. Overview of synthetic biology
2. Gene expression
3. Overview of microbial biotechnology
4. Application example (I): biofuels
5. Application Example (II): drug
6. Application example (III): chemical products
7. Selection of microorganisms: engineered bacteria
8. Selection of biotechnological methods
9. Synthetic biology tools
10. Other factors that influence synthetic biology production