ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology

A diversified approach to the design of recombinant silk proteins for biomaterials

Silk offers a sustainable alternative to synthetic polymers, yet widespread industrial adoption has not been realised. Many current silk protein engineering efforts have focused on spider dragline silk; a pursuit made difficult by the metabolic burden of expressing high molecular...

Navigating regulatory fragmentation in the convergence of synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, and automation

The convergence of synthetic biology, artificial intelligence (AI), and automation (SynBioxAI) creates research activities that simultaneously engage biosecurity, AI governance, export control, and data sovereignty frameworks – none of which are designed for convergent science. W...

Science and the Common Good: Reconceptualising the Relationship

Abstract Science routinely appeals to the idea of serving the common good, at least in part to justify public funding. Yet, there is growing recognition that current research structures and incentives impede the fulfilment of this ideal. This paper argues that this shortfall stem...

Climate adaptation as evolvability

Abstract Standard approaches to climate adaptation, commonly understood as the protection of infrastructure, social systems, and ecosystems from adverse climate impacts, are too closely tied to the biological concept of adaptation and the ecological notion of stability . Instead,...

Steric stabilizers inhibit or enhance enzymatic digestion depending on the internal nanostructure of lipid nanoparticles

Abstract Lipidic nanoparticles (LNPs), including liposomes and cubosomes, are widely employed drug delivery systems owing to their biocompatibility and capacity for stimuli-responsive ‘smart’ drug release. Steric stabilizers, including DSPE-PEG-2000 and Pluronic F127, are commonl...

Life beyond 6,000 genes: From sequence to synthesis in a post-genomics era

Abstract The publication of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome sequence thirty years ago marked a defining shift in modern biology, establishing yeast as the first fully sequenced eukaryotic model cell. Access to a complete reference genome has catalysed a renaissance in experim...

Reconfiguring scientific competition: patent consolidation and the access politics of the HPV vaccine

Abstract The invention of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine occurred at a moment when academic life science research was becoming increasingly reoriented toward market-driven goals. This transformation, shaped by policy shifts promoting the commercialisation of academic rese...