News

Building on a productive two decades of advancements in synthetic biology, engineering biology now promises to enable the implementation and scale-up of novel biological systems tailored to tackle urgent global challenges.

Here we explore the latest engineering biology approaches for the control and modification of bacterial biofilms with exciting new functionalities.

Thanks to advancements in DNA synthesis, editing, and sequencing and developments in AI, biological systems can now be engineered with greater speed and accuracy and with significantly reduced time and costs.

The latest report from the Capgemini Research Institute, Unlocking the potential of engineering biology: The time is now, looks at how engineering biology can be applied in different sectors and how it has the power to transform industries. It also examines biosolutions from a sustainability perspective.

EBIC are incredibly proud to have recruited a fantastic team of early career researchers (ECR), with a breadth of experience and an expansive skill set.

We would like to introduce you to our first ECR Rep – Dr Prabhakar Lal Srivastava. Prabhakar is a Research Fellow at the School of Environmental & Natural Sciences at Bangor University. Within EBIC Prabhakar’s role focuses on Theme 2: Environmental bioremediation and Theme 3: Wastewater & waste management.

“This is a must read….it opens the doorway to the hidden world of microbes and the incredible ‘things’ they produce, such as everyday products like detergents (aka biosurfactants). The unseen world of microbes and how they can be harnessed to do incredible things, is captivating, thrilling and entertaining.” Prof. Tony Gutierrez, Professor in Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Heriot-Watt University.

We are delighted to be a recipient of a funding injection from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) which will accelerate the commercialisation of new engineering biology ventures. Part of a £2.8 million UKRI seed corn fund has been awarded to Environmental Biotechnology Innovation Centre (EBIC) to bridge the gap between research and market-ready products and technologies, with comprehensive support and resources for researchers.

At EBIC, the seed corn funding will be awarded to researchers at the ten partner universities across five years, providing timely support to high-potential projects and helping to de-risk innovations and attract investment.

“This paper is a call to action. By publishing concurrently across journals like an emergency bulletin, we are not merely making a plea for awareness about climate change. Instead, we are demanding immediate, tangible steps that harness the power of microbiology and the expertise of researchers and policymakers to safeguard the planet for future generations”

Izzy Webb is the Deputy Director for Technology Strategy and Security in the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s (DSIT) Engineering Biology Team. In this blog post, she explains why the UK has published voluntary guidance to promote synthetic nucleic acid screening and who the guidance is intended for.

Professor Coulon is an invited keynote speaker at SIDISA 2024, the XII International Symposium on Environmental Engineering in Palermo, 1st-4th October 2024. Keynote: “Key Innovations and Challenges in Soil Remediation for a Sustainable Future”.

Cranfield University is delighted to announce that our Green Future Investments Ltd Future Frontiers Fund (GFIL-FFF) and Technology Accelerator Fund (GFIL-TAF) are open again for applications. Innovators and entrepreneurs can now apply to scale up ideas that address the challenges related to tackling climate change, protecting our environment, and delivering a Net Zero future. No match funding is required. Applications close 11th November 2024 at 5:30pm.

Bacteria, fungi and plants can be grown and engineered to remove plastics, chemicals and pollutants from contaminated soil and water…

Professor Louise Horsfall on using microbes to generate in-demand materials, such as lithium, from waste…

The Government defines engineering biology as the design, scaling and commercialisation of biology-derived products and services that can transform sectors or produce existing….

Carbon capture is a way of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes. At CyanoCapture we are harnessing biology to do this.

Synthetic Biology and AI can significantly boost the bioeconomy by scaling up through the use of Digital Twins, which digitalize part of the traditionally expensive…

Microbes and enzymes break down plastics. What we do with them next is as important in tackling the microplastics problem.

A new research centre, the first of its kind in the UK, is being formed to enhance and develop the natural abilities of micro-organisms in cleaning up our planet.