University of Liverpool Synthetic Biology Lab Awarded £2M
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have been awarded £2M to build a state-of-the-art DNA synthesis facility, a capability offering much needed tools for genome engineering to the academic and private sectors.
The facility, named GeneMill, formed part of the United Kingdom’s strategic focus on synthetic biology, which had been identified by the Government as one of the ‘Eight Great Technologies’ in which Britain was, or could be, a world leader.
Engineering biology encompassed the construction of artificial biological devices, pathways, or networks, as well as the re-engineering of existing natural ones. Central to this engineering process was the creation of parts or components encoded in DNA. One of the major challenges in synthetic biology lay in the production and assembly of starting materials: modular segments of DNA designed to perform specific functions and synthesised in laboratories.
The creation of these starting materials was both time-consuming and costly. This challenge was addressed by a group of scientists in Liverpool through the development of GeneMill. Much like traditional mills, the facility took in raw materials and transformed them into new products.