Biology — the science of life, living things and the processes that keep us all running — links up in essential ways with many other sciences, such as chemistry, physics and mathematics, which help us to better understand cells, genetics, evolution and the interaction of many living systems.

Synthetic biology, a rapidly growing area of science, aims to take it all to another level, drawing on innovative techniques from biology and engineering, including the use of DNA sequencing and synthesis. From generating new organs for people awaiting transplants, to strengthening plants to withstand longer periods of drought, the goal is to create a new or improved capability in a living system to address long-standing problems in medicine, manufacturing, agriculture, energy and other fields.

To that end, nearly 100 University of Delaware researchers gathered in January for UD’s first campus-wide Synthetic Biology Symposium. They came to hear what like-minded colleagues were doing, learn about core facilities and capacities at UD, and explore possibilities for new collaborative projects.

“As a field, [synthetic biology] thrives on collaboration and interdisciplinary research,” said Miguel Garcia-Diaz, UD vice president for research, scholarship and innovation. “These are already strengths at the University. Many of you are using synthetic biology approaches. Because of this, we are well-positioned for major growth in this area. We have an opportunity to become a major center for synthetic biology.” 

Intentional events such as this symposium often produce connections that might not happen otherwise. This inaugural event occurred one day before the fifth annual Mid-Atlantic Synthetic Biology Symposium, held this year on UD’s Science, Technology and Advanced Research Campus (STAR Campus) and chaired by Aditya Kunjapur, Thomas Willing Early Career assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at UD.

The symposium agenda revealed a fascinating menu of projects already underway, including biology, chemical and biomolecular engineering, plant and soil science, physics, medical laboratory research, computer science, biomanufacturing, and mechanical and electrical engineering.

Five-minute presentations provided quick introductions to researchers’ work. Among the investigations discussed:

• How microbes interact with each other; which microbes are present in soil and how they interact in proximity to plants, both on Earth and in space; whether there are links between soil microbes and human health; and whether microbes can enrich the protein content of agricultural grains. This work was presented by plant biologist Harsh Bais.

• How ribonucleic acid (RNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA) interact in plants, bacteria and human systems. Molecular biologist Mona Batish studies this by tagging RNA with fluorescent probes so that it “lights up like a string of Christmas lights” under a microscope, where researchers can see and track it. CircularRNA is strong and durable, making it useful as a biomarker for disease or therapeutics. It is transported from one cell to another in little packages and once delivered it can change activity in the destination cell.

• Creating cells and proteins with new functions to improve their ability to make things. This work, being done in the lab of chemical and biomolecular engineer Mark Blenner, has application in sustainable chemical production, bioenergy, human health, national defense and space exploration. It draws from synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, protein engineering and systems biology.

• Finding new ways to design and produce semi-synthetic antibiotics, such as producing ampicillin from penicillin. This was discussed by Barry Buckland, executive director of the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) and CEO of BioLogicB. Ampicillin is the most prescribed antibiotic today. Penicillin costs more and takes longer to produce. Synthetic biology makes it possible to make ampicillin more efficiently using a process of fermentation.

• Building new synthetic biological parts, putting them together in different ways and activating these new biological structures. Wilfred Chen, Gore Professor of Chemical Engineering, discussed this work. His lab is working on dynamic control of protein-based materials and cellular phenotypes (traits and characteristics) for use in cancer therapies.

• Understanding the role black carbon could play in reducing methane produced in wetlands, rice paddies and landfills. Black carbon comes from such things as agricultural waste, the charred remains of wildfires and volcanic lava. Pei Chu, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, discussed his lab’s work with these materials.

• Expanding what molecules cells can make and where they can make them. This was discussed by Kunjapur, who works with metabolic engineering, chemical biology and genome engineering, aiming to use synthetic biology to enable new microbial capabilities and safeguards. These would be applied to address problems in human and planetary health.

• Exploring lipids, compounds that store energy, regulate hormones and form cell membranes, among other functions. Wearing a T-shirt that read “I Love Lipids,” Edward Lyman, associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, discussed his study of membrane biophysics, lipid biophysics, molecular dynamics simulation and membrane protein-lipid interactions.

• Finding innovative ways to address the problem of antibiotic resistance by disrupting communication and signaling between cells, systems bacteria use to respond to their environment and increase their chances of survival. Vijay Parashar, associate professor of medical and molecular sciences, is working on such innovations in his lab.

• Learning replication strategies from viromes. Shawn Polson, associate director of the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, talked about efforts to study microbial viruses, the challenge of biological interpretation and the importance of understanding the replication machinery of viruses.

• How proteases — enzymes that break down proteins — target the right proteins for destruction and how they can be harnessed to construct regulated proteolytic circuits. Karl Schmitz, assistant professor of biological sciences, discussed this investigation and its importance for new antibiotic targets.

• Understanding the biogenesis of proteins called cytochromes c, found in cells and critical to many processes. Molly Sutherland, assistant professor of biological sciences, talked about her study of these proteins, which contribute to cellular respiration, photosynthesis, detoxification and cell death (when the body gets rid of damaged cells).

Participants also heard important messages from Gigi Gronvall, professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, who delivered the event’s keynote address.

An immunologist by training, Gronvall has written extensively about synthetic biology and worked extensively during the pandemic on the response to and the origins of COVID19. She authored the book “Synthetic Biology: Safety, Security and Promise” and has served on many state department and national academies committees on threats.

According to Gronvall, the bioeconomy is a $950 billion industry in the United States – and it’s growing. While there is great excitement about the suite of technologies that are developing, there are also important concerns.

“We want to see a future where this is done ethically and responsibly, and that won’t happen by accident,” she said. She and others are working to shepherd this vision. 

Last year, Gronvall and colleagues, including UD’s Kunjapur, co-authored a paper in the open-access journal Cell Press, detailing emerging trends in biotechnology. The paper focused on norms the co-authors believe should guide the growing field — safety, security, sustainability and social responsibility.

Gronvall said more needs to be done to build out a regulatory framework and process for moving biotechnology solutions through the industry.

When Blenner asked how faculty can best train emerging scientists and engineers, Gronvall said faculty can spark conversations with new researchers and help them consider how their work could be misused. It is an important consideration, she said.

“When you publish something close to the line, or something that may introduce vulnerability, it’s important to demonstrate that you’ve thought about these things and explain why it’s still important [to do],” she said.

Addressing the many graduate students in the audience, Gronvall encouraged those eager to join the synthetic biology field to network, especially with peers or colleagues who may be five to six years ahead of them.

“There are a lot of different paths,” she said. “Keep in touch with people working where you want to go. They will have the best knowledge out there.”

In addition to these speakers, symposium attendees heard about resources available at UD, including the University’s high-performance computing cores, the AI Center of Excellence, the Bioinformatics Data Science Core Facility, the Flow Cytometry and Single Cell Core Facility, the Delaware Biotechnology Institute’s BioImaging Center and the Sequencing and Genome Center. They also heard from members of the Research Office’s Sponsored Programs Office, which helps facilitate grant proposal submissions.