Building a global alliance of biofoundries (vol 10, 2040, 2019)

The original version of this Comment contained errors in the legend of Figure 2, in which the locations of the fifteenth and sixteenth GBA members were incorrectly given as '(15) Australian Genome Foundry, Macquarie University; (16) Australian Foundry for Advanced Biomanufacturing, University of Queensland.'. The correct version replaces this with '(15) Australian Foundry for Advanced Biomanufacturing (AusFAB), University of Queensland and (16) Australian Genome Foundry, Macquarie University'. This has been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Comment

Building a biofoundry

A biofoundry provides automation and analytics infrastructure to support the engineering of biological systems. It allows scientists to perform synthetic biology and aligned experimentation on a high-throughput scale, massively increasing the solution space that can be examined for any given problem or question. However, establishing a biofoundry is a challenging undertaking, with numerous technical and operational considerations that must be addressed. Using collated learnings, here we outline several considerations that should be addressed prior to and during establishment. These include drivers for establishment, institutional models, funding and revenue models, personnel, hardware and software, data management, interoperability, client engagement and biosecurity issues. The high cost of establishment and operation means that developing a long-term business model for biofoundry sustainability in the context of funding frameworks, actual and potential client base, and costing structure is critical. Moreover, since biofoundries are leading a conceptual shift in experimental design for bioengineering, sustained outreach and engagement with the research community are needed to grow the client base. Recognition of the significant, long-term financial investment required and an understanding of the complexities of operationalization is critical for a sustainable biofoundry venture. To ensure state-of-the-art technology is integrated into planning, extensive engagement with existing facilities and community groups, such as the Global Biofoundries Alliance, is recommended. </p

Biosensing <i>Vibrio cholerae</i> with Genetically Engineered <i>Escherichia coli</i>

Cholera is a potentially mortal, infectious disease caused by <i>Vibrio cholerae</i> bacterium. Current treatment methods of cholera still have limitations. Beneficial microbes that could sense and kill the <i>V. cholerae</i> could offer potential alternative to preventing and treating cholera. However, such <i>V. cholerae</i> targeting microbe is still not available. This microbe requires a sensing system to be able to detect the presence of <i>V. cholera</i> bacterium. To this end, we designed and created a synthetic genetic sensing system using nonpathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> as the host. To achieve the system, we have moved proteins used by <i>V. cholerae</i> for quorum sensing into <i>E. coli</i>. These sensor proteins have been further layered with a genetic inverter based on CRISPRi technology. Our design process was aided by computer models simulating <i>in vivo</i> behavior of the system. Our sensor shows high sensitivity to presence of <i>V. cholerae</i> supernatant with tight control of expression of output GFP protein

SynBiopython:An open-source software library for Synthetic Biology

10.1093/synbio/ysab001Synthetic Biology61ysab00

Building a global alliance of biofoundries

10.1038/s41467-019-10079-2NATURE COMMUNICATIONS101204

Building a global alliance of biofoundries (vol 10, 2040, 2019)

NATURE COMMUNICATIONS10

Author Correction: Building a global alliance of biofoundries.

The original version of this Comment contained errors in the legend of Figure 2, in which the locations of the fifteenth and sixteenth GBA members were incorrectly given as '(15) Australian Genome Foundry, Macquarie University; (16) Australian Foundry for Advanced Biomanufacturing, University of Queensland.'. The correct version replaces this with '(15) Australian Foundry for Advanced Biomanufacturing (AusFAB), University of Queensland and (16) Australian Genome Foundry, Macquarie University'. This has been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Comment

Building a global alliance of biofoundries.

Biofoundries provide an integrated infrastructure to enable the rapid design, construction, and testing of genetically reprogrammed organisms for biotechnology applications and research. Many biofoundries are being built and a Global Biofoundry Alliance has recently been established to coordinate activities worldwide

Building a global alliance of biofoundries

Biofoundries provide an integrated infrastructure to enable the rapid design, construction, and testing of genetically reprogrammed organisms for biotechnology applications and research. Many biofoundries are being built and a Global Biofoundry Alliance has recently been established to coordinate activities worldwide