SynBio Connect March 2022

From the Director

Welcome to our first SynBio Connect newsletter for 2022.

In this issue I’m pleased to share with you a fantastic explainer piece from our researchers on precision fermentation - a capability that could underpin the growth of a sustainable bioeconomy in Australia. We also meet Dr Xiaoqing Li, who was the recipient of the ABARES Young People in Agriculture Award. Also catch up on our latest publications, including a piece on the critical role BioFoundries can play in strengthening pandemic preparedness.

Our SynBio Celebrating Science Symposium, held 24-25 March 2022, was a huge success. It marked the final meeting of the Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform (SynBio FSP) network and it was great to bring together our SynBio community to reflect on our achievements. I'd like to thank Alison Rice, Lauren Dale, Larissa Sherman, Sophie Schmidt and our event managers, ASN Events for their help in pulling the Symposium together.

The Symposium was a fantastic opportunity to reflect on the enduring legacy of the SynBio FSP, particularly through the eyes of the early- and mid-career researchers who we have helped to support during the early stages of their careers. We also heard about the SynBio infrastructure that we built, and the substantial changes in the SynBio community of practice that we've seen over the last five years, including the emergence of a vibrant start-up community. We'd like to thank everyone involved in the SynBio community—the Executive team past and present; Paul Bertsch, the Operations Team and everybody who has contributed to the FSP over the last five years.

Building on the successes of the SynBio FSP, CSIRO will launch a new FSP called the Advanced Engineering Biology (AEB) FSP. The AEB FSP is intended to accelerate the delivery of SynBio-supported biotechnologies. It will enable the delivery of new technologies rapidly and at scale. A global search is also underway for the new Director of the incoming Advanced Engineering Biology FSP.

In other news, the FSP Program Manager Emily Knauth has commenced a new role as Research Projects Manager for the Valuing Sustainability FSP and we wish her all the best. Emily will still be with the SynBio FSP until its closure and we are grateful for the continued support.

Dr Colin Scott

Director
Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform

Latest news from the FSP

SynBio opportunities

Latest publications

• Adikusuma, F., Lushington, C., Arudkumar, J., Godahewa, G.I., Chey, Y.C.J., Gierus, L., Piltz, S., Geiger, A., Jain, Y., Reti, D., Wilson, L.O.W., Bauer, D.C. & Thomas, P.Q. (2021). Optimized nickase- and nuclease-based prime editing in human and mouse cells. Nucleic Acids Research, Volume 49, Issue 18, 11 October 2021, Pages 10785–1079.
• Andersen, T. B., Llorente, B., Morelli, L., Torres‐Montilla, S., Bordanaba‐Florit, G., Espinosa, F. A., Rodriguez‐Goberna, M. R., Olmedilla‐Alonso, B., Llansola‐Portoles, M. J., Pascal, A. A. & Rodriguez‐Concepcion, M. (2021). An engineered extraplastidial pathway for carotenoid biofortification of leaves. Plant Biotechnol. J.
• Caputo, A.T., Eder, O.M., Bereznakova, H., Pothuis, H., Ardevol, A., Newman, J., Nuttall, S., Peat, T.S. & Adams, T.E. (2021). Structure-guided selection of puromycin N-acetyltransferase mutants with enhanced selection stringency for deriving mammalian cell lines expressing recombinant proteins. Scientific Reports, Volume 11, Article number: 5247.
• Gurung, J.P., Kashani, M.N., Agarwal, S., Peralta, G., Gel, M. & Baker, M.A.B. (2021). Separation and enrichment of sodium-motile bacteria using cost-effective microfluidics. Biomicrofluidics, Volume 15, 034108 (2021).
• Hao, N., Agnew, D., Krishna, S., Dodd, I.B. & Shearwin, K.E. (2021). Analysis of Infection Time Courses Shows CII Levels Determine the Frequency of Lysogeny in Phage 186. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2021 Sep 29;14(10):99.
• Hao, N., Chen, Q., Dodd, I.B. & Shearwin, K.E. (2021). The pIT5 Plasmid Series, an Improved Toolkit for Repeated Genome Integration in E. coli., Current Biology, Volume 31, Issue 16, 2021, Pages 3504-3514.
• Islam, M.I., Bae, J.H.,  Ishida, T., Ridone, P.,  Lin, J., Sowa, Y., Buckley, B.J. & Baker, M.A.B. (2021). Novel Amiloride Derivatives That Inhibit Bacterial Motility across Multiple Strains and Stator Types. Journal of Bacter, Volume 203, Issue 22, Article Number e00367-2.
• Kaksonen, A.H., Lakaniemi, A. & Tuovinen, O.H. (2020). Acid and ferric sulfate bioleaching of uranium ores: A review. Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 264, 2020,121586, ISSN 0959-6526.
• Mead O.L., Gueidan C. (2020). Complete genome sequence of an Australian strain of the lichen-forming fungus Endocarpon pusillum Hedwig. ASM Journals, Microbial Resource Announcements 2020. Volume 9, Issue 50.
• Nazem-Bokaee H., Hom E.F.Y., Warden A. C., Mathews S. & Gueidan C. (2021). Towards a systems biology approach to understanding the lichen symbiosis: opportunities and challenges of implementing network modelling. Frontiers in Microbiology, Volume 12, Year 2021, Pages 1028.
• Shah, M.V., Nazem-Bokaee, H., Antoney, J., Kang, S., Jackson,C., Scott, C. (2021). Improved production of the non-native cofactor F420 in Escherichia coli. Scientific Reports, Volume 11, 21774 (2021).