Keynote Talk: Synthetic Biology and the Design, Build, Test and Learn Paradigm in relation to Systematic BioDesign

A number of important governments around the world see synthetic biology as a key driver of the bio economy. Synthetic biology applies the engineering principles of modularity, standardisation and characterisation to the systematic design of biologically based devices and systems. At its heart is BioDesign and the application of the synthetic biology design cycle. This comprises specifications, design, modelling, build, testing and validation. Central to the approach is the paradigm of design, build, test and learn. The paper will consider the elements of systematic design and the hierarchical approach to building biological devices and systems using standard components. The success of a design rests on the interplay between the dry and wet labs. In terms of achieving an optimal design, modelling, in various forms, plays an important role. This will be explored in the context of development examples. Industrial translation is another important feature of synthetic biology. This will be discussed in relation to standards, reproducibility and reliability. In this context, automation is increasingly important - particularly in relation to the development of DNA foundries and the use of modelling to minimise the range of gene circuit possibilities in the wet lab.