Professor Howard Salis, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, USA
Tuesday 7th March, 1.00 p.m., Stacey Lecture Theatre 1
DNA is Nature’s programming language and its sequence determines how organisms sense their environment, perform decision-making, and produce valuable chemical products. The Salis lab engineers cellular sensors, genetic circuits, and metabolic pathways by developing and applying sequence-to-function biophysical models and optimization algorithms, capable of predicting the sequences of high-performance genetic systems before they are constructed.
We illustrate our design approach with several examples, including RNA-based sensors that detect 2,4-dinitrotoluene, genetic circuits that amplify signals, and metabolic pathways that over-produced desired chemicals. Using a web-based design platform, our algorithms have been used by researchers world-wide to engineer over 100,000 genetic systems for their own biotech applications.