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Research

Biological systems - including the simplest cells - exhibit a broad range of functions to thrive in their environment. Research in the Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology is focused on the possibility of engineering the underlying biochemical processes to solve many of the challenges facing society, from healthcare to sustainable energy. In particular, we model, analyse, design and build biological and biochemical systems in living cells and/or in cell extracts, both exploring and enhancing the engineering potential of biology.

As part of our research we develop novel methods to accelerate the celebrated Design-Build-Test-Learn synthetic biology cycle. As such research in the Centre for Synthetic Biology highly multi- and interdisciplinary covering computational modelling and machine learning approaches; automated platform development and genetic circuit engineering ; multi-cellular and multi-organismal interactions, including gene drive and genome engineering; metabolic engineering; in vitro/cell-free synthetic biology; engineered phages and directed evolution; and biomimetics, biomaterials and biological engineering.

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Hammond:2016:10.1038/nbt.3439,
author = {Hammond, A and Galizi, R and Kyrou, K and Simoni, A and Siniscalchi, C and Katsanos, D and Gribble, M and Baker, D and Marois, E and Russell, S and Burt, A and Windbichler, N and Crisanti, A and Nolan, T},
doi = {10.1038/nbt.3439},
journal = {Nature Biotechnology},
pages = {78--83},
title = {A CRISPR-Cas9 gene drive system-targeting female reproduction in the malaria mosquito vector Anopheles gambiae},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nbt.3439},
volume = {34},
year = {2016}
}

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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Gene drive systems that enable super-Mendelian inheritance of a transgene have the potential to modify insect populations over a timeframe of a few years. We describe CRISPR-Cas9 endonuclease constructs that function as gene drive systems in Anopheles gambiae, the main vector for malaria. We identified three genes (AGAP005958, AGAP011377 and AGAP007280) that confer a recessive female-sterility phenotype upon disruption, and inserted into each locus CRISPR-Cas9 gene drive constructs designed to target and edit each gene. For each targeted locus we observed a strong gene drive at the molecular level, with transmission rates to progeny of 91.4 to 99.6%. Population modeling and cage experiments indicate that a CRISPR-Cas9 construct targeting one of these loci, AGAP007280, meets the minimum requirement for a gene drive targeting female reproduction in an insect population. These findings could expedite the development of gene drives to suppress mosquito populations to levels that do not support malaria transmission.
AU  - Hammond,A
AU  - Galizi,R
AU  - Kyrou,K
AU  - Simoni,A
AU  - Siniscalchi,C
AU  - Katsanos,D
AU  - Gribble,M
AU  - Baker,D
AU  - Marois,E
AU  - Russell,S
AU  - Burt,A
AU  - Windbichler,N
AU  - Crisanti,A
AU  - Nolan,T
DO  - 10.1038/nbt.3439
EP  - 83
PY  - 2016///
SN  - 1087-0156
SP  - 78
TI  - A CRISPR-Cas9 gene drive system-targeting female reproduction in the malaria mosquito vector Anopheles gambiae
T2  - Nature Biotechnology
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nbt.3439
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/64946
VL  - 34
ER  -