Monday, June 17, 2013

The eighth wonder: developments in synthetic biology

Test tubes
There is a whole suite of opportunities to deploy synthetic biology for the benefit of not just humans, but in animal health and the environment as well.
Dr Belinda Clarke
Synthetic Biology Lead Technologist Dr Belinda Clarke describes the role of the Technology Strategy Board in the development of this key field with Editor Amy Caddick...

The UK life science industry has become a significant focus area for research and development in recent years, which is hardly surprising given that the industry generates a turnover of just over £50bn.1

Recognising the significance of the sector, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) published the ‘Strategy for UK Life Sciences’ in December 2011, setting out a series of directives aimed at advancing life sciences. A progress report released a year later showed that in 12 months £1bn in revenue had been generated through industry and private sector investment,2 further highlighting the importance of life sciences to the economy.

A number of key disciplines have garnered significant attention within the sector, particularly synthetic biology. A mix of biology and engineering, synthetic biology involves the design and build of new biological systems or the redesign of existing ones. While running the risk of sounding more science fiction than science fact, the ability to write a new genetic code for an organism, or even construct new biological systems from scratch is a growing sector that is potentially worth millions. As an emerging technology with vast applications, it has the potential for significant disruption across many sectors. As such, Science Minister David Willetts has named synthetic biology as one of his eight key technologies.

'Focus for UK funding'


As a focus for UK funding, much of the drive to advance the synthetic biology industry has been and will continue to be facilitated by the government’s innovation organisation, the Technology Strategy Board, which, along with research councils, has assisted in a number of new technologies reaching commercialisation over the years. Outlining the role of her organisation in assisting growth and pushing the field forward, Synthetic Biology Lead Technologist Dr Belinda Clarke discusses why continued support is so important.

"Synthetic biology currently sits within the emerging technology area. This means the Technology Strategy Board is looking at how to provide the field with additional support to help accelerate innovation so it can become a more mature, robust industry in the long term."

Knowledge transfer and collaboration are familiar themes across the majority of research spheres; it is common practice for mathematicians to help physicists for example, but synthetic biology is the amalgamation of a number of fields and relies on this synergy. Drawing on the expertise of biologists, engineers, computer scientists and software engineers, synthetic biology is a truly collaborative sector.

'Truly multidisciplinary community'


"We need a whole raft of both ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ techniques, from gene sequencing and synthesis to IT capabilities to enable predictive design and modelling," says Clarke. "Synthetic biology requires a truly multidisciplinary community. There really has to be a number of crucial technology strands pulled together, helped by a common vocabulary and mutual understanding, to make synthetic biology a success. We also need standards, an enabling regulatory environment and a confident investor community."

While collaboration and knowledge transfer is undoubtedly a vital part of ensuring the advancement of the synthetic biology community, the move from research to commercialisation – as with a number of technologies – is a challenge. Bridging the dreaded ‘Valley of Death’ –the process of getting research to commercial market – is something the Technology Strategy Board has been working on across a spectrum of technologies, including synthetic biology. Clarke outlines what tools are in place to assist with this.

"There are technology transfer activities in the research community as well as the higher education institutes, but there are also a number of tools that the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) have at their disposal, such as standalone LINK awards, industrial partnership awards, etc.

"The Technology Strategy Board also works to find ways of encouraging collaborative research and development between academia and industry, whether that’s through our competitions or knowledge transfer partnerships, for example.

"There’s a lot going on, and there is always more we’d like to do, but these are just some of the tools we’re deploying to bridge that gap. The Special Interest Group run by the Biosciences Knowledge Transfer Network is key to helping facilitate the collaborations and build consortia."

Support for synthetic biology


Support for synthetic biology has certainly been forthcoming in regards to funding. On 7th March this year, the government announced £5.3m would be made available to further advance the field. Clarke recognises that support for synthetic biology has been significant.

"We’re delighted with the support from the government for life sciences in general, but for synthetic biology to have been named as one of the top eight technologies by David Willetts is incredibly pleasing," says Clarke. "Because of this we’re seeing strong financial commitment coming through. There’s been a substantial amount of funding put into the synthetic biology community by the research councils, and the Technology Strategy Board."

Innovation with the potential oppurtunities that synthetic biology offers needs to be developed within the culture and mindset that it is for the public good...
Dr Belinda Clarke
Despite strong support from government, there is still an onus on funding bodies to ensure that money is being spent well and is creating economic opportunities.

"I think the challenge is to now show the Treasury that their confidence and investment in the synthetic biology community is well placed," believes Clarke. "We have to realise the potential value of the sector, in terms of new jobs, revenues from technology commercialisation, and R&D spend, for example. It’s not easy. By definition, the timescale over which emerging industries evolve and mature don’t necessarily map onto the shorter government timescales," she adds.

The scope of synthetic biology is one reason why investment and interest from government and funding bodies has been so considerable. While a relatively new field within biology, the possibilities are vast. Synthetic biology can manipulate DNA to create bespoke organisms, it can be used to build new pharmaceutical therapies from scratch, produce bulk and fine chemicals in a more sustainable manner, and synthetic biologists can also potentially lessen the burden on the energy industry. The full capabilities of this field are yet to be fully explored, but it is recognised that it could revolutionise many sectors in the future.

"There is a whole suite of opportunities to deploy synthetic biology for the benefit of not just humans, but in animal health and the environment as well," says Clarke. "For that reason it is really important that the funding continues. UK researchers are now at the point of undertaking some very sophisticated and elegant experiments to really understanding what organisms can do, given the right instruction."

As with all cutting-edge research, synthetic biology raises a number of ethical queries. Building and rebuilding biological organisms could be used for nefarious purposes. Biosecurity and biosafety are two of the main areas that are cause for concern. Could synthetic biology be used to create biological weapons and could synthesising new biological systems, which are not naturally produced, have unforeseen consequences? Safety and ethics, therefore, have to be at the centre of synthetic biology to ensure peace of mind and ‘responsible innovation’.

'For the public good'


"We are going to great lengths to ensure that the funding we allocate goes into projects that have been scrutinised and assessed by a panel of experts who have looked at the social, ethical, regulatory and business-governance of the research," assures Clarke. "Innovation with the potential opportunities that synthetic biology offers needs to be developed within the culture and mindset that it is for the public good, and we have to be comfortable that they really are being developed in the context of doing good, not harm."

Innovation, particularly on the cutting edge, often faces significant challenges. Uncertainty over the ‘unknown’ and the idea of ‘playing God’ with biological systems can cause concern. Responsible research and innovation is therefore absolutely vital.

To ensure this, the Technology Strategy Board has published a ‘Responsible Innovation Framework’, a set of guidelines to determine how synthetic biology studies should be carried out. The framework is designed to ensure the innovator has considered any societal, ethical, legal and regulatory issues that could arise during their project and to ensure that innovation is ultimately conducted responsibly.

'Commercially useful products'


Irrespective of the nature of research – whether controversial or not – it can be a challenge to ensure quality innovation occurs and that this is timely as well as relevant to the global marketplace. Overcoming the wider challenges of commercialisation is still a concern, although significant headway has already been made.

"The successful translation of research into commercially useful products, is one that the UK is looking at very closely across the innovation landscape," concludes Clarke. "There are some great examples where government support has really effectively facilitated this journey."


www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-for-life-sciences
2 www.gov.uk/government/news/life-sciences-strategy-one-year-on


Dr Belinda Clarke
Synthetic Biology Lead Technologist
Technology Strategy Board

www.innovateuk.org



[This article was originally published on 10th June 2013 as part of Science Omega Review UK 02]

Read more: http://www.scienceomega.com/article/1127/the-eighth-wonder-developments-in-synthetic-biology#ixzz2WVgdyi00

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