Project description
A toolbox of control systems to accelerate synthetic biology innovation
Nature has developed tremendously diverse and efficient mechanisms to accomplish all sorts of tasks, and the control mechanisms over these mechanisms are equally diverse. Although the engineering of biological systems and processes is providing advances that improve human quality of life in a sustainable way, the full potential has not been exploited due mostly to the challenges of artificially controlling the dynamic behaviour of these biophysical systems. The EU-funded COSY-BIO project aims to build on control engineering principles to develop three different types of ‘controllers: external (a computer), embedded (integrated into cells) and multicellular (separate cell populations that control other cells). The tools will be accompanied by a rapid prototyping platform.
Objective
Synthetic Biology aims at rational engineering of living organisms to improve human well-being and environmental sustainability, thus promising a paradigm shift in human technology. Its full potential has not been achieved yet because of the complexity of engineering biological systems where basic biological parts are intrinsically noisy and not modular. The overarching goal of COSY-BIO is to develop a theoretical framework and innovative technological tools to engineer reliable biological systems that are robust despite their individual components being not by translating principles of control engineering to molecular and cell biology. Automatic control is a well-established engineering discipline to build “controllers” to steer the dynamic behaviour of a physical system in a desired fashion. By building upon control engineering for physical systems and by exploiting the unique features of living organisms, this project will identify generally applicable approaches to design closed-loop feedback controllers for biological systems. To handle biological complexity, the project will explore three strategies of increasing difficulty “external” controllers, “embedded” controllers and “multi-cellular” controllers. External controllers will be implemented in a computer acting on cells using small molecules via microfluidics devices. Embedded controllers will be made from biological parts and integrated within individual cells to steer their behaviour. Multicellular controllers envisage two cell populations, one made up of cells with embedded controllers (controller cells) and the other will be the controlled population (target cells). In addition, a rapid prototyping platform will enable to speed up the design-build-test cycles by means of optimal experimental design, microfluidics and cell-free systems. Proof-of-principles demonstrations in bacteria and yeast with relevance to biotechnology will be tackled to prove the usefulness of this revolutionary technology.
Fields of science
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesclassical mechanicsfluid mechanicsmicrofluidics
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriology
- natural sciencesbiological sciencessynthetic biology
- natural sciencesbiological sciencescell biology
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringcontrol engineering
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
00185 Roma
Italy