Roadmapping News
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February 18, 2024
New Publication: Addressing the Climate Crisis Through Engineering Biology
A companion piece to EBRC’s 2022 roadmap, Engineering Biology for Climate & Sustainability. Published in npj Climate Action.
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September 27, 2022
Just released: Engineering Biology for Climate & Sustainability: A Research Roadmap for a Cleaner Future
The Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) is happy to have released our newest technical research roadmap, Engineering Biology for Climate & Sustainability: A Research Roadmap for a Cleaner Future. The roadmap is available as an interactive website and PDF available at https://roadmap.ebrc.org.
This publication highlights innovative solutions and opportunities in engineering biology to support global efforts to tackle the climate crisis, enable sustainable products and solutions, and grow the circular bioeconomy. The technical roadmap addresses the current state of biotechnology for climate change mitigation and adaptation and ecosystem resilience, and lays out goals and short-, medium-, and long-term milestones for the development of engineering biology tools and technologies for a sustainable future.
Supported by funding from the National Science Foundation, the roadmap was written collaboratively by more than 90 contributors across 56 academic institutions, biotechnology companies, government laboratories, and other organizations. The depth and breadth of this expertise is reflected in the diverse landscape of technologies, processes, and products presented in the roadmap for leveraging engineering biology to address our imminent climate crisis while advancing the bioeconomy. As the U.S. seeks to establish and maintain leadership in the global bioeconomy through the Biden Administration’s Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation, and through the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, this roadmap provides a vision of how that dedication and leadership can ultimately benefit all Americans and our global community.
The technical roadmap focuses on novel, foundational engineering biology capabilities for the:
- Biosequestration of Greenhouse Gases
- Mitigation of Environmental Pollution
- Conservation of Ecosystems and Biodiversity
And engineering biology for climate-friendly, sustainable products and solutions for:
- Food & Agriculture
- Transportation & Energy
- Materials Production & Industrial Processes
The roadmap features case studies that explore the social and nontechnical dimensions associated with some of the roadmap’s potential climate solutions. These case studies were selected to support and encourage the incorporation of ethical, economic, political, and security considerations into the design and pursuit of technical research. The questions and considerations illuminated by these case studies highlight the need for technical and nontechnical stakeholders to work together to secure a sustainable future. The roadmap also contains a contextual glossary of terms and concepts.
View Engineering Biology for Climate & Sustainability here!
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October 14, 2020
Modular cell-free expression plasmids to accelerate biological design in cells
Ashty S Karim, Fungmin Eric Liew, Shivani Garg, Bastian Vögeli, Blake J Rasor, Aislinn Gonnot, Marilene Pavan, Alex Juminaga, Séan D Simpson, Michael Köpke, Michael C Jewett. ACS Synthetic Biology.
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August 24, 2020
Activation of Energy Metabolism through Growth Media Reformulation Enables a 24-Hour Workflow for Cell-Free Expression
Max Z. Levine, Byungcheol So, Alissa C. Mullin, Rob Fanter, Kayla Dillard, Katharine R. Watts, Michael R. La Frano, and Javin P. Oza. ACS Synthetic Biology.
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August 20, 2020
You get what you screen for: on the value of fermentation characterization in high-throughput strain improvements in industrial settings
Maren Wehrs, Alexander de Beaumont-Felt, Alexi Goranov, Patrick Harrigan, Stefan de Kok, Sarah Lieder, Jim Vallandingham & Kristina Tyner. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology.
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July 13, 2020
Automated design of thousands of nonrepetitive parts for engineering stable genetic systems
Ayaan Hossain, Eriberto Lopez, Sean M. Halper, Daniel P. Cetnar, Alexander C. Reis, Devin Strickland, Eric Klavins & Howard M. Salis. Nature Biotechnology.
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April 5, 2019
Artificial Photosynthetic Cell Producing Energy for Protein Synthesis
Samuel Berhanu, Takuya Ueda, Yutetsu Kuruma. Nature Communications.
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March 4, 2019
Gene-edited animal creators look beyond US market
Heidi Ledford. Nature.
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March 4, 2019
UC’s patent for its pioneering CRISPR discovery
UC’s patent for its pioneering CRISPR discovery sets up a big battle over its rights. Los Angeles Times.
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March 4, 2019
The race for enzymatic DNA synthesis heats up
Jeffery M. Perkel. Nature.
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March 4, 2019
PLANT-Dx: A Molecular Diagnostic for Point of Use Detection of Plant Pathogens
Matthew Verosloff, James Chappell, Keith L. Perry, Jeremy R. Thompson, and Julius B. Lucks. ACS Synthetic Biology.
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March 4, 2019
Standardizing Automated DNA Assembly: Best Practices, Metrics, and Protocols Using Robots
David I. Walsh, III, Marilene Pavan, Luis Ortiz, Scott Wick, Johanna Bobrow, Nicholas J. Guido, Sarah Leinicke, Dany Fu, Shreya Pandit, Lucy Qin, Peter A. Carr, Douglas Densmore. SLAS Technology.
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February 16, 2019
Abstract submission for the 2019 Synthetic Biology
Abstract submission for the 2019 Synthetic Biology: Engineering, Evolution, & Design (SEED) Conference (New York City, NY) closes March 1, 2019.