Synthetic biology gets £24m boost

Innovation centre will help commercialise research into biofuels

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is establishing an innovation centre to help commercialise synthetic biology research and create new industrial processes.

The centre, known as SynbiCITE, will be a national resource and based at Imperial College London. A further 17 universities will be involved along with 13 industrial partners including Shell and Microsoft.

One of the leaders of the £24 million centre, Professor Richard Kitney from the department of bioengineering at Imperial College London, said: “Synthetic Biology could be the next ‘industrial revolution’ for the UK, where tiny devices manufactured from cells are used by us to improve many facets of our lives. From producing new, more sustainable fuels to developing devices that can monitor or improve our health, the applications in this field are limitless.”

The EPSRC said that the centre will act as an industrial translation engine that will integrate academic and industry-based research to create new processes and products.

Synthetic biology is the engineering of biology. It allows scientists and engineers to design and build biological systems that can perform specific functions, such as producing drugs, fuels or plastics.

Last year science minister David Willetts listed synthetic biology as one of the eight great technologies that should be prioritised by the government. Announcing the funding for SynbiCITE Willetts said: “Synthetic biology has huge potential for our economy and society in so many areas, from life sciences to agriculture. But to realise this potential we need to ensure researchers and business work together. This new centre will help advance scientific knowledge and turn cutting edge research into commercial success.”

The centre will be part funded by the EPSRC, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and industry. It will receive an initial £5 million grant with a further £5 million awarded over the next two years from the research councils. A further £14 million has been pledged by industry.