Macquarie University's Biofoundry to Set Up Synthetic Biology Center

The Australian Research Council
(ARC) has announced that a consortium centred around Macquarie University’s
Biofoundry will receive $35m in funding to create a new ARC Centre of
Excellence in Synthetic Biology (CoESB) from 2020. Macquarie University is
Australia’s leader in synthetic biology and its work on the international Yeast
2.0 Project, in collaboration with the NSW Department of Industry, has already
seen it accepted into the group of 13 internationally recognised biofoundries
known as the Synthetic Biology BioFoundry Network. The new Centre of Excellence
in Synthetic Biology will take this leading role to new levels.
The Centre is an international
collaboration between seven Australian universities and 25 partners and is one
of the largest combined efforts in synthetic biology in the world. The Centre, led by ARC Laureate
Fellow Macquarie University’s Distinguished Professor Ian Paulsen, will provide
the technical innovation that will enable Australia to develop a vibrant
bioeconomy built on the country’s strong agricultural sector.
The Centre of Excellence will
combine engineering with molecular biology to design and construct innovative
biological systems that can convert biomass from agriculture or waste streams
to biofuel, biodegradable pesticides, bioplastics and other high-value
chemicals. These novel microbial cell
factories will underpin an environmentally sustainable advanced
biomanufacturing industry in Australia. This will in turn lead to significant
rural investment, increased employment, and new export opportunities.
In addition, the Centre will
train the next generation of synthetic biologists, fully conversant with
industrial translation, and capable of establishing the Australian bioeconomy
start-up companies of the future. Macquarie’s Deputy Vice
Chancellor, Research, Professor Isak (Sakkie) Pretorius, welcomed the
announcement, saying, “Macquarie University brought the field of synthetic
genomics to Australia and is a recognised global leader in synthetic biology
research.
“As the only Australian
university in the international Yeast 2.0 consortium, we have united some of
the best minds in biology, engineering, computer science, social sciences and
business. With the new Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie is
ideally placed to lead large-scale collaborative projects in this area,
including the discovery and development of biosensors, bioenergy, biodegradable
pesticides, ‘next generation’ antibiotics and vaccines, personalised medicine
and gene therapies.”
Synthetic biology can be
described as a newly emerging field in which rapid advancements in techniques
for high-throughput DNA sequencing (reading) and DNA synthesis (writing and
editing) are enabling the design and construction of new biological parts
(genes), devices (gene networks) and modules (biosynthetic pathways), and the
redesign of biological systems (cells and organisms).
In addition to advances in the
agricultural sector, this Centre of Excellence will help advanced technologies
in new personalized medicines, help ensure a future of adequate and nutritious
foods, provide us with biodegradable pesticides that are environmentally
friendly and can help fuel the soil for future plant growth, help us find more
sustainable fuels for our everyday lives.
The Centre of Excellence will
combine expertise from science and medicine with the humanities and social
sciences to create real-world solutions to some of our greatest problems. Critically for Australia, this
Centre of excellence will provide the next generation with scientific
innovations to continue to fuel the Australian economy.
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