Making waves at the edge of synthetic biology Written by Henrico Adrian and Caitlin Sives
The synthetic biology (synbio) sector here in Australia has grown swiftly over the past decade, leading to a thriving ecosystem of Aussie bio-innovators armed with the know-how and can-do attitude required to unlock the nation’s synbio potential1. The Australian Government recognises the role synbio can play in building its bioeconomy, highlighted by capacity-building investments such as the ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology (AUD 35 million)2 and CSIRO’s Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform Future Science Platform and BioFoundry (AUD 28 million)3 – programs that bring together academia and industry players to collectively drive R&D and the industrial translation of synbio innovations. These initiatives are also coupled with the establishment of state-of-the-art infrastructure, including BioFoundries4,5, that enable local synthetic biologists to rapidly bioengineer technologies with highthroughput “Design-Build-Test-Learn” cycles.
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The world famous Bondi Beach tidal pool. Image credit: Kelvin Li via Unsplash.