Project description FET Proactive: Evolving Living Technologies (EVLIT) Show the project objective Hide the project objective Despite recent advances in in vivo directed evolution techniques and the interest they have attracted so far, their impact in applied biotechnology is limited because of their limitations in programmability, selective drivers, cost and scalability. Here, we propose to construct a general-purpose programmable evolution machine able to quickly evolve new biomolecules or phenotypes in bacterial cells. The proposed device will use existing phage technology and synthetic regulation to engineer a programmable directed evolution machine able to produce biomolecules or biocomputational functionality two orders of magnitude faster than conventional techniques, while consuming fewer consumables. In its core, living matter will be subject to combinatorial search algorithms that will exploit large numbers of small, separate, bacterial populations. Each one will contain phage that evolve under different custom fitness selections. The different phage will then be recombined according to combinatorial optimization strategies. The software and hardware design of our device is inspired by microprocessor manufacturing practice. Hence, in addition to the genetic devices for phage engineering, mutation, recombination and selection, we will develop: i) fluidic modules for cell and phage growth, ii) their hardware primitives, iii) a custom instruction set architecture, and iv) a high-level language with its compiler. We will demonstrate the operation of our device by engineering site-specific ribonucleases and nucleases with real-world applications, such as anti-HIV activity. We will also develop applications for new type of distributed bacterial computing using phage communication. We will thus put in place the foundations and approaches for this radical living technology that will impact ICT as well as many areas beyond, such as biology, chemistry and manufacturing. Fields of science natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwarenatural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologyvirologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesnatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsmutation Programme(s) FP7-ICT - Specific Programme "Cooperation": Information and communication technologies Topic(s) ICT-2013.9.6 - FET Proactive: Evolving Living Technologies (EVLIT) Call for proposal FP7-ICT-2013-10 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme CP - Collaborative project (generic) Coordinator THE UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK EU contribution € 748 427,00 Address Kirby Corner Road - University House CV4 8UW Coventry United Kingdom See on map Region West Midlands (England) West Midlands Coventry Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Maria Montiel Montesinos Ortiz (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data Participants (6) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS Spain EU contribution € 478 291,00 Address CALLE SERRANO 117 28006 Madrid See on map Region Comunidad de Madrid Comunidad de Madrid Madrid Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact María Ángeles López Vázquez (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE MADRID Spain EU contribution € 381 795,00 Address CALLE RAMIRO DE MAEZTU 7 EDIFICIO RECTORADO 28040 Madrid See on map Region Comunidad de Madrid Comunidad de Madrid Madrid Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Roberto Prieto (Prof.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data UNIVERSITE D'EVRY-VAL D'ESSONE France EU contribution € 229 974,00 Address BOULEVARD FRANCOIS MITTERAND 23 91025 Evry See on map Region Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Essonne Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Corine Legrand (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW United Kingdom EU contribution € 629 370,00 Address UNIVERSITY AVENUE G12 8QQ Glasgow See on map Region Scotland West Central Scotland Glasgow City Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Joe Galloway (Mr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE United Kingdom EU contribution € 472 139,00 Address SOUTH KENSINGTON CAMPUS EXHIBITION ROAD SW7 2AZ LONDON See on map Region London Inner London — West Westminster Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Alasya Brooke (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS Participation ended France EU contribution € 0,00 Address RUE MICHEL ANGE 3 75794 Paris See on map Region Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact Chiara Chelini (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data