Our research in top-down synthetic biologists aim to reprogram cellular behaviour through introduction of non-native genes and reconfiguration of the gene expression networks, for the semi-biological synthesis of complex molecules.
We are also developing biological equivalents of simple electronic components (in collaboration with the School of Electronics and Computer Sciences) aiming to create complex regulatory networks by utilizing the tools and mathematical models developed in electronic engineering. Such networks can then be constructed and programmed (analogous to a computer) to carry out a designated function.
Our efforts in bottom-up synthetic biology utilize first principles for the de novo construction of synthetic genomes and non-natural molecules that behave analogously to their counterparts in living systems.