CELL-FREE SYNTHETIC BIOLOGYANDBIOFABRICATION FOR NOVEL SILK BIOMATERIALS DEVELOPMENT
Abstract
Developing novel materials with tailored properties/functionalities remains a grand challenge. In nature, biology has offered enormous illustrations on precision molecular design and self-assembly that are incomparable to the conventional top-down design scheme. An emerging branch of research discipline to recapitulate or adapt the bioinspired material design and fabrication is called biomimicry. To succeed in biomimetic material fabrication, synthetic biology that synergizes engineering and biology has come to play a pivotal role. Synthetic biology (SynBio) enables programming of biological matters, such as proteins or polymers, in a fashion that “materials by design” can be readily achieved and render novel and yet desirable material properties through a bottom-up fabrication process. Our broad goal is to innovate the design, synthesis, and fabrication regimes of creating advanced biomaterials via the power of synthetic biology, which, in turn, could drastically change the landscape of developing future bioinspired materials. Specifically, we aim to explore spider silks as our blueprints and to further design and renovate silk materials. First, next generation sequencing (NGS) and computational toolkits will be employed to analyze new forms of spider silks, identifying functional sequence domains. Second, advanced synthetic biology strategies will be utilized to reengineer the domains and synthesize novel silk materials. Last, the resulting materials will be fabricated into products and their functionality will be evaluated subsequently. We envision the strategic platforms, once established, will not only expediate the pace for discovering novel biomaterials but also broaden the utility of synthetic biology in translational materials development. That can, in turn, lead to ultimate materials manufacturing in a sustainable and renewable manner.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 12, 2021
- Source ID
- FA23862014079
Entities
People
- Hsuan-Chen Wu
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- National Taiwan University
- United States Air Force