scholarly journals Applying Synthetic Biology with Rational Design to Nature’s Greatest Challenges: Bioengineering Immunotherapeutics for the Treatment of Glioblastoma

Immuno ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-51
Author(s):  
Leila A. Mashouf ◽  
Janet Y. Wu ◽  
Pavan Shah ◽  
Nivedha Kannapadi ◽  
Michael Lim
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Consumer Goods ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Significant Progress ◽  
Creative Development ◽  
Adequate Treatment ◽  
Treatment Development ◽  
Food And Agriculture

Improvements in bioengineering methodology and tools have allowed for significant progress in the development of therapeutics and diagnostics in medicine, as well as progress in many other diverse industries, such as materials manufacturing, food and agriculture, and consumer goods. Glioblastomas present significant challenges to adequate treatment, in part due to their immune-evasive and manipulative nature. Rational-design bioengineering using novel scaffolds, biomaterials, and inspiration across disciplines can push the boundaries in treatment development to create effective therapeutics for glioblastomas. In this review, we will discuss bioengineering strategies currently applied across diseases and disciplines to inspire creative development for GBM immunotherapies.

scholarly journals Rational design of photocatalysts for ammonia production from water and nitrogen gas

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seokwoo Choe ◽  
Sung Min Kim ◽  
Yeji Lee ◽  
Jin Seok ◽  
Jiyong Jung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Source ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ammonia Production ◽  
Significant Progress ◽  
Nitrogen Gas ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Made In

AbstractPhotocatalytic N2 reduction has emerged as one of the most attractive routes to produce NH3 as a useful commodity for chemicals used in industries and as a carbon-free energy source. Recently, significant progress has been made in understanding, exploring, and designing efficient photocatalyst. In this review, we outline the important mechanistic and experimental procedures for photocatalytic NH3 production. In addition, we review effective strategies on development of photocatalysts. Finally, our analyses on the characteristics and modifications of photocatalysts have been summarized, based on which we discuss the possible future research directions, particularly on preparing more efficient catalysts. Overall, this review provides insights on improving photocatalytic NH3 production and designing solar-driven chemical conversions.

Evolving protocells to prototissues: rational design of a missing link

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 1159-1165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiksha Mantri ◽  
K. Tanuj Sapra
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Missing Link ◽  
Hierarchical Assembly ◽  
Artificial Cell

Realization of a functional artificial cell, the so-called protocell, is a major challenge posed by synthetic biology. A subsequent goal is to use the protocellular units for the bottom-up assembly of prototissues. There is, however, a looming chasm in our knowledge between protocells and prototissues. In the present paper, we give a brief overview of the work on protocells to date, followed by a discussion on the rational design of key structural elements specific to linking two protocellular bilayers. We propose that designing synthetic parts capable of simultaneous insertion into two bilayers may be crucial in the hierarchical assembly of protocells into a functional prototissue.

Consequentialism and the Synthetic Biology Problem

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
PATRICK HEAVEY
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Road Map ◽  
Food And Agriculture

Abstract:This article analyzes the ethics of synthetic biology (synbio) from a consequentialist perspective, examining potential effects on food and agriculture, and on medicine, fuel, and the advancement of science. The issues of biosafety and biosecurity are also examined. A consequentialist analysis offers an essential road map to policymakers and regulators as to how to deal with synbio. Additionally, the article discusses the limitations of consequentialism as a tool for analysing synbioethics. Is it possible to predict, with any degree of plausibility, what the consequences of synthetic biology will be in 50 years, or in 100, or in 500? Synbio may take humanity to a place of radical departure from what is known or knowable.

scholarly journals Short Peptides in Minimalistic Biocatalyst Design

Biocatalysis ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystyna L. Duncan ◽  
Rein V. Ulijn
Keyword(s):  
Active Sites ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Similar Rate ◽  
Ester Hydrolysis ◽  
Peptide Sequence ◽  
Short Peptides ◽  
Significant Progress ◽  
Fundamental Understanding ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Binding Pockets

AbstractWe review recent developments in the use of short peptides in the design of minimalistic biocatalysts focusing on ester hydrolysis. A number of designed peptide nanostructures are shown to have (modest) catalytic activity. Five features are discussed and illustrated by literature examples, including primary peptide sequence, nanosurfaces/scaffolds, binding pockets, multivalency and the presence of metal ions. Some of these are derived from natural enzymes, but others, such as multivalency of active sites on designed nanofibers, may give rise to new features not found in natural enzymes. Remarkably, it is shown that each of these design features give rise to similar rate enhancements in ester hydrolysis. Overall, there has been significant progress in the development of fundamental understanding of the factors that influence binding and activity in recent years, holding promise for increasingly rational design of peptide based biocatalysts.

Synthetic biology: insights into biological computation

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 518-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romilde Manzoni ◽  
Arturo Urrios ◽  
Silvia Velazquez-Garcia ◽  
Eulàlia de Nadal ◽  
Francesc Posas
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Biological Systems ◽  
Biological Computation

Synthetic biology attempts to rationally engineer biological systems in order to perform desired functions. Our increasing understanding of biological systems guides this rational design, while the huge background in electronics for building circuits defines the methodology.

scholarly journals Intrinsic limitations in mainstream methods of identifying network motifs in biology

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Fodor ◽  
Michael Brand ◽  
Rebecca J Stones ◽  
Ashley M Buckle
Keyword(s):  
Gene Regulation ◽  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Biological Networks ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Biological Systems ◽  
Network Motifs ◽  
Motif Identification ◽  
Spurious Results

Network motifs are connectivity structures that occur with significantly higher frequency than chance, and are thought to play important roles in complex biological networks, for example in gene regulation, interactomes, and metabolomes. Network motifs may also become pivotal in the rational design and engineering of complex biological systems underpinning the field of synthetic biology. Distinguishing true motifs from arbitrary substructures, however, remains a challenge. Here we demonstrate both theoretically and empirically that implicit assumptions present in mainstream methods for motif identification do not necessarily hold, with the ramification that motif studies using these mainstream methods are less able to effectively differentiate between spurious results and events of true statistical significance than is often presented. We show that these difficulties cannot be overcome without revising the methods of statistical analysis used to identify motifs. The implications of these findings are therefore far-reaching across diverse areas of biology.

scholarly journals Synthetic biology: paving the way with novel drug delivery

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 24-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas M. Bush ◽  
Chelsea Gibbs ◽  
Tara L. Deans
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Control Cell ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Gene Circuits ◽  
Basic Concepts ◽  
Novel Drug

Synthetic biology is a multidisciplinary field that focuses on the rational design and construction of novel genetic tools for the purpose of engineering cells to behave in controllable and predictable ways. The promise of this modern technology relies on our understanding of basic genetics and gene expression to engineer cells with unique functions. This is accomplished by designing biological parts and assembling them into higher-order gene circuits that control cell operations through tight regulation of gene expression, effectively reprogramming and rewiring the cells. In this article, we review the basic concepts of gene expression, discuss the framework of how synthetic biologists reprogram cells and outline how cells can be engineered to function as new vehicles for delivering therapeutic proteins.

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