ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology

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...