Imperial launches synthetic biology centre
8 Feb 2019 by Evoluted New Media
Imperial College has launched a new research centre focused on the use of synthetic biology to solve challenges in healthcare, biomaterials and sustainable energy.
The Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology is an upgrade on the Synthetic Research Centre, which opened in 2009, and reflects an expansion of the college’s activities in the field.
Professor Nick Jennings, Vice-Provost at Imperial, said: “Synthetic biology will be a really important area both for Imperial, the country and for broader society in the coming years.”
At the launch, Imperial presented several of its ongoing synthetic biology projects, including sensors that monitor the behaviour of cells and genetically modified mosquitos that prevent the spread of malaria. The synthetic biology community at Imperial is the largest in the UK, with 39 academic groups from seven departments.
Synthetic biology – the application of engineering principles to biology – is now worth £220 billion to the UK economy. £102 million has been invested in the government-based Synthetic Biology for Growth Programme.
