Late night (biological) engineering in London

By Sami Stebbings

Once a month something amazing happens at the London Science Museum, and last month our collaborative team from OpenPlant, the SAW Trust, the University of East Anglia (UEA) and graphic recorder Rebecca Osborne, got to be part of it.

On the last Wednesday of every month, the London Science Museum opens its doors late into the evening to welcome adults to an engaging and free evening out, as part of the Science Museum Lates.

Each evening is themed around a different science topic, attracts around 4,000 guests per night and offers a relaxed atmosphere where you can walk around with a drink in hand whilst talking science.

This month’s theme was ‘The year of the engineer’ and we brought the synthetic biology edge to the night with our ‘Engineering Natural Products’ stand. With the help of Dr Richard Bowater (University of East Anglia), Hannah Griffiths (John Innes Centre) and of course DNA Dave, visitors were taken on a journey from the discovery of DNA through to how scientists engineer biological systems.

Our enthusiastic public engagement volunteers, Jenni Rant and Sami Stebbings (SAW Trust) and John Innes Centre PhD students' Hannah Griffiths and Shannon Woodhouse.

Our stand told the story of avenacin, a triterpene that is found in the roots of oat plants and helps make the plant resistant to fungal diseases. By understanding how these plants produce avenacin from the instruction in their DNA, we explored how scientists can engineer other biological systems to mimic their production. For example, can we transfer these genes from oat plants, into other crops, such as wheat which have no natural antifungal protection?

Guests had a plethora of activities to take part in, from our ‘Fishing for DNA’ activity, Avenacin Pathway puzzle, to getting up close and personal with an avenacin molecule using VR. They also had a chance to get hands on and infiltrate tobacco plants and see fluorescing oat seedlings!

With a steady stream of people throughout the night, the evening was a great success (not only because there was gin bar)! A massive thank you to all our collaborators who helped pull our stand and activities together, as well as the fantastically organised, London Science Museum team.

In was a great event to be part of and we hope to return to another Lates event sometime in the future!

OpenPlant Forum 2018: Engineering Plants for Bioproduction

Blog post by Dr Colette Matthewman

Over the past decade, synthetic biology has focussed much of its effort on microbial chassis as platform for bioproduction. The single cell simplicity and rapid life-cycles of these organisms, the prevalence of biological tools and the existing industry infrastructure for fermentation have made microbes a tempting playground for synthetic biologists wishing to make a range of chemicals and biomolecules, from flavours and fragrances to distributed manufacturing of highly complex metabolites for medicine, and an increasing number of companies are finding success in this arena (e.g. Ginkgo Bioworks, Amyris, Evolva, Antheia).

More recently, plants have been showing serious promise as viable production platforms for complex chemicals and biomolecules which in many cases simply can’t be made in single celled microbes. This year, the OpenPlant Forum explored some of the latest advances in plant bioproduction with inspiring talks from invited speakers and OpenPlant researchers highlighting a promising and exciting future for plant synthetic biology.

OpenPlant post-doc Ingo Appelhagen presents his work on anthocyanin pigment production in plant cell cultures.

The first morning of the Forum focused on tools for refactoring regulation and simple test platforms for plant synthetic biology. Prof. Ian Small (University of Western Australia) opened the meeting with a keynote on the potential for using engineered RNA bonding proteins to control organelle gene expression. OpenPlant PI, Prof. Paul Dupree described research in his on engineering of polysaccharide structures in plants. We also had the first examples of plant production platforms: Dr Ingo Appelhagen presented his recently published work on the production of colourful anthocyanin molecules in plant cell cultures, while Dr Eva Thuenemann introduced the HyperTrans system developed in the Lomonossoff lab at the John Innes Centre for the transient expression of proteins in Nicotiana benthamiana, a wild relative of tobacco. Eva is working on plant-based production of a protein that could be used in a vaccine against East Coast Fever, a devastating disease in cattle in Africa. The HyperTrans platform is used by the Lomonossoff lab and recently established company Leaf Expression Systems to produce therapeutic proteins and virus-like particles for vaccines, including recent work on a new vaccine for the eradication of Polio.

The afternoon session explored the cutting edge in production of complex plant-derived natural products in yeast, with a keynote from Prof. Christina Smolke (Stanford University), followed with an insight into the engineering of triterpene production in N. benthamiana by Dr James Reed in the Osbourn lab (John Innes Centre), recently reviewed in Plant Cell Reports. These projects rely heavily on chemical and enzymatic biodiversity in nature. Dr Sam Brockington (University of Cambridge) talked about harnessing the global network of botanic gardens for access to plant diversity for metabolic engineering and synthetic biology, introducing a global database of living plant, seed and tissue collections called “Plant Search” – a perfect sedgeway into a panel discussion on Harnessing Global Biodiversity where Sam was joined by Dr Nicola Patron (Earlham Institute), Mr David Rejeski (Environmental Law Institute), and Dr Jenni Rant (SAW Trust). The discussions ranged from public opinion on synthetic biology (explored through the Global Garden workshop) and benefit sharing and dematerialisation, through to how blockchain (like the bitcoin) is being used in environmental contexts and whether blockchain technology trends can be applied to create/assign value for biodiversity.

Prof. Ralf Reski with his moss bioreactors

Day two of the Forum continued on a theme of “Tools for Metabolic Engineering” with Prof. Claudia Vickers (University of Queensland) opening by introducing the Future Science Platform in Synthetic Biology that she leads at CSIRO, as well as numerous tools developed in her research lab. Claudia was followed by a trio of OpenPlant postdocs describing analysis to unravel the genetics of divergent metabolic pathways in Brassicaceae (Dr Zhenhua Liu), a search for new synthetic biology tools based on diversity of natural triterpene oxidation (Dr Michael Stephenson) and tools for engineering Marchantia’s chloroplasts (Dr Eftychis Frangedakis).

Moving on from the tools, we explored further plant-based bioproduction platforms, starting with an inspirational keynote from Prof. Ralf Reski (University of Freiburg) on the moss Physcomitrella patens that Ralf’s lab has established as a production platform for biopharmaceuticals, leading to foundation of the company Greenovation, which produces moss-aGal (agalsidase) for the treatment of Fabry disease, a rare but painful and potentially deadly disease. Subsequently, we heard from Prof. Alison Smith (University of Cambrige) about “Designer algae” and work towards predictable metabolic engineering in microalgae, and from Dr Eugenio Butelli (John Innes Centre) about the Tomato as a biofactory for making health promoting flavonoids.

The Forum was wrapped up for this year with a session on Sharing and Techno-Social Platforms, with an introduction from OpenPlant’s Prof Jim Haseloff, followed by Dr Linda Kahl (BioBricks Foundation) on the latest with the Open Material Transfer Agreement (Open MTA) which has been developed in collaboration with OpenPlant to enable sharing of DNA parts (publication coming soon!). Next up, Dr Joanne Kamens from not-for-profit plasmid distribution company, Addgene, revealed the freshly launched plant resource page and spoke about the upcoming adoption of the Open MTA as an option under which plasmids can be shared. Finally, Dr Richard Sever from bioRxiv spoke about preprint opportunities for synthetic biology.

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Join us in Cambridge for the OpenPlant Forum 2019 | 29 – 31 July

Save the date!

An internship with the SynBio 4 Schools project

PhD student Camilla Stanton spent a three month internship, from May to August 2018, working with OpenPlant to build resources and materials for the Synthetic Biology for Schools (SynBio4Schools) project, funded through the OpenPlant Fund scheme. In this blog post she describes the project and the work that she completed during her placement.

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Synthetic biology brings together researchers from a broad range of backgrounds to solve biological problems through rational design. While synthetic biology is increasingly being taught in universities, it remains under-represented in the national curriculum and teaching resources for GCSE and A-Level students. The SynBio 4 Schools project aims to solve this problem by creating a comprehensive educational resource package that teaches the principles of plant synthetic biology through practicals and case studies.

SynBio4Schools activites and write-ups on display at the OpenPlant Forum, Norwich, 2018

I got involved with the SynBio 4 Schools project through a 3-month industrial placement as part of my PhD. My role was to assess and identify what resources could be included and to begin compiling them. An obvious starting place was to explore the activities and demonstrations that researchers in Norwich and Cambridge had already developed and tested. While these resources are valuable on their own, bringing them together creates a set of interlinked resources that support one another, greatly increasing their reach and impact. It is also an exciting opportunity to get contemporary research into schools, helping inspire the next generation of biological engineers!

During my placement, I worked in collaboration with researchers to discuss ideas for how their research could be used in a teaching-style activity, whether that be an experiment, worksheet or craft-based. We also had discussions about what sort of supporting material might be useful, such as articles, interviews or case studies. It was a really enjoyable process as it gave the scientists a unique opportunity to think more creatively about their work, and I got to hear some really innovative ideas for teaching some quite complex concepts.

Some of the 3D printed virus structures from Roger Castells-Graells' OpenPant Fund Project.

I ended up focussing on writing up three activities based on work carried out by Dr Paolo Bombelli (plant microbial fuel cells), Dr Nicola Patron (genetic circuits) and Roger Castells-Graells (virus structures), which I was lucky enough to showcase at the OpenPlant Forum. This gave me the chance to receive feedback from other researchers and educators about how the materials could be made more accessible for students and provide more support for teachers and technicians. These suggestions helped shape the basic write-up template, which now includes additional investigations, sources and links to other experiments. 

This was a hugely valuable experience for me - I got to explore new topics, meet people with exciting and original ideas and even got to try my hand at some design work! Although I’m now back doing my PhD, the SynBio 4 Schools project definitely doesn’t end there - we want as many people as possible to get involved.

Currently, there is a growing list of activities that cover a variety of topics from plant natural products to computational biology. But we want to showcase even more research from Norwich and Cambridge! If you have developed a resource that you would like to see included in the SynBio 4 Schools project, or you think your research could translate into an educational setting, please do get in touch! Email Colette.Matthewman@jic.ac.uk

MRes Biotechnology and Biodesign

University of Newcastle are offering a new MSc program in Biotechnology and Biodesign. The course provides a foundation into how design and engineering approaches are used in the creation of new biotechnological processes and products.

More information and to apply>>>

About this course

Advances in biotechnology, computing, and laboratory automation are being coupled with design thinking approaches to engineer biological systems that may produce more sustainable products than traditional manufacturing. Examples include:

• the production of synthetic meat substitutes
• dairy-free milk
• adaptive building materials
• petroleum-replacement products
• designer antimicrobial compounds
• smart drug delivery systems

Our Biotechnology and Biodesign MRes:

• provides a foundation in design thinking approaches
• covers recent developments in applied biotechnology
• provides an opportunity to develop and refine your laboratory skills
• provides the opportunity to develop your own research project

The training forms an excellent foundation for students opting to follow a research orientated career path and for those looking for successful careers in the biotechnology industry.

The course is interdisciplinary. You'll be suitable for this course if you are:

• a science graduate
• looking to develop your knowledge and research skills

You'll gain the skills allowing you to address critical global challenges in:

• sustainability
• food security
• the environment
• healthcare

[Closes 30 May 2018] Co-ordinator for Synthetic Biology Centre

We're looking to hire a Cambridge-based coordinator for the OpenPlant SynBio Research Centre and the Cambridge SynBio Strategic Research Initiative. Application deadline is 30 May 2018.

Full details of the post can be found at http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/17351/

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The role-holder would work 50% to support the OpenPlant Synthetic Biology Research Centre and 50% with the Synthetic Biology Strategic Research Initiative (SynBio SRI). The purpose of the role is to help develop and implement a strategy that will enable both initiatives to become known leaders in the field and sustainable in the longer term.

OpenPlant (http://openplant.org) is a consortium funded by BBSRC and EPSRC comprising 20 labs spanning the University of Cambridge, John Innes Centre and the Earlham Institute (Norwich). The work of the Research Centre is intended to promote novel research on tools and applied traits for plant synthetic biology, open sharing of foundational technologies, and responsible innovation. The role-holder will work with the OpenPlant Directors and Management Group, including the OpenPlant Project Manager based in Norwich, to co-ordinate a variety of activities within the Research Centre.

The SynBio SRI (http://synbio.cam.ac.uk) aims to catalyse interdisciplinary exchange between engineering, physics, biology and social sciences to advance Synthetic Biology at the University of Cambridge. The role-holder will work with the SRI Co-Chairs and Steering Committee to develop, plan and deliver the SRI's vision and strategy. They will facilitate efforts to promote development of open technologies, build shared resources, and provide a hub for networking and discussion.

Responsibilities will also include co-ordinating seed funding competitions such as the Biomaker Challenge and OpenPlant Fund; organising formal and informal scientific meetings and forums; developing and managing relationships with stakeholders within and external to the University; seeking small and large-scale funding for future activities. The role-holder is additionally responsible for ensuring that synthetic biology activities in Cambridge are actively communicated and promoted, and is supported by the part-time SynBio SRI Events and Communication Co-ordinator.

The successful candidate will have a PhD in a relevant field and knowledge of Synthetic Biology research, policy and practice. They will have the ability to foster relationships with and between academics at all levels in an interdisciplinary context, and build partnerships with companies, funders and policy makers. A successful track record in attracting research funding would be advantageous. Excellent organisational and communications skills are essential, together with proven problem-solving skills and initiative.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available until 30 September 2019 in the first instance.

Cell-free protein synthesis - try it with your favourite protein!

Quentin Dudley, a postdoc at the Earlham Institute, did a PhD in the Jewett lab (Northwestern University, Illinois) focused on the use of cell-free systems for the reconstitution of metabolic pathways and bioproduction of monoterpenes. Now he is using an OpenPlant Fund Award to establish cell-free platforms for protein synthesis in Norwich. Read more about this work below, and on www.biomaker.org

As part of this project he is recruiting participants for a workshop on cell-free protein synthesis to be held in mid-June in Norwich. It is an opportunity to try to express your favourite protein using a low-cost, high-throughput platform. Download the poster for details and contact quentin.dudley@earlham.ac.uk for details and questions.

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Cell-free protein synthesis

Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) uses crude lysates of E. coli, wheat germ, and other organisms to recapitulate transcription and translation in a test tube (Carlson et al., 2012). This enables protein production at higher throughput, shorter timescales, and simpler troubleshooting compared to expression in cells. While CFPS has several pros/cons, it is particularly powerful when testing many different protein variants/mutations with an output assay that works directly in the crude cell-free reaction.

While CFPS is getting easier to implement, buying commercial kits can get expensive and troubleshooting the first time can be challenging. In response, I’m leading a project sponsored by the OpenPlant fund to establish an in-house E. coli CFPS system (~£1 / rxn) at Norwich/Cambridge and want to compare it to a commercial wheat germ kit (£12 / rxn) for expressing proteins. We are testing a range of different proteins from various plants. If you have an interesting protein you’d like to try expressing in a cell-free system, please contact quentin.dudley@earlham.ac.uk for details!)

I’ve previously worked with CFPS as a graduate student with Michael Jewett at Northwestern University. The Jewett lab is working to develop new CFPS platforms using yeast (S. cerevisiae), chloroplasts, and CHO cells. They also are improving existing E. coli-based systems to synthesize “tricky” proteins that require complex folding environments (membrane proteins, antibodies) or contain nonstandard amino acids. During my time in the lab, I used CFPS to manufacture enzyme homologs which could then be combined to prototype metabolic pathways, for example biosynthesis of monoterpenoids.

It is a very exciting time for cell-free systems. Protein yields have increased to 2 mg/mL and a commercial company (Sutro Biopharma) has reported reaction volumes at 100 L (Zawada et al., 2011). Additionally, cell-free reactions can be freeze-dried on paper and retain full activity; several groups are using this feature to develop on-demand pharmaceuticals or simple, color-changing diagnostics for diseases such as Zika virus (Pardee et al., 2016). As this cell-free technology matures, its flexibility and programmability make it an attractive opportunity for Biomaker projects and future applications will be limited only by the creativity of researchers and developers.

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REFERENCES

Carlson, E. D., Gan, R., Hodgman, C. E., & Jewett, M. C. (2012). Cell-free protein synthesis: applications come of age. Biotechnology Advances, 30(5), 1185-1194.

Zawada, J. F., Yin, G., Steiner, A. R., Yang, J., Naresh, A., Roy, S. M., ... & Murray, C. J. (2011). Microscale to manufacturing scale‐up of cell‐free cytokine production—a new approach for shortening protein production development timelines. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 108(7), 1570-1578.

Pardee, K., Green, A. A., Takahashi, M. K., Braff, D., Lambert, G., Lee, J. W., ... & Collins, J.J. (2016). Rapid, low-cost detection of Zika virus using programmable biomolecular components. Cell, 165(5), 1255-1266.

[Close 22 Apr 2018] Two Sr / Research Assocaite positions in Protein Design

Two positions are available in the laboratory of Professor Dek Woolfson, University of Bristol

For more information on the Woolfson group see: http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/org/woolfson/index.html

For informal enquiries please contact: d.n.woolfson@bristol.ac.uk

Senior Research Associate / Research Associate in Protein Design for Biotechnology

http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BIT158/senior-research-associate-research-associate-in-protein-design-for-biotechnology/

A position for a postdoctoral research associate is available to work on a protein design in biotechnology project in the laboratory of Professor Dek Woolfson.  The group is internationally leading in the development of protein design for applications in chemical and synthetic biology.  The successful applicants will join a vibrant research team that combines bioinformatics and computational design, peptide and protein chemistry, biophysics and structural biology, and cell biology.  Expertise in peptide chemistry and biophysical methods would be a distinct advantage for this particular post, and applicants from these areas are particularly encouraged to apply.  However, we are keen to receive applications from ambitious and energetic individuals across the chemical and biochemical sciences or bioengineering with an interest in advancing protein design and its applications generally.

This post in protein design for biotechnology is for one year, and it is funded by a European Research Council Proof-of-Concept grant.  The project will explore the use of a-helical barrels recently discovered and developed in the Woolfson lab (Thomson et al. (2014) Science 346:485-488) in the area of biosensing. Researchers with a background in peptide chemistry, surface chemistry and/or fluorescence spectroscopy/microscopy are strongly encouraged to apply.  An active interest in driving the translation of this basic research into biotechnology applications of societal benefit would be an advantage.

Senior Research Associate / Research Associate in Protein Design

http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BIP002/senior-research-associate-research-associate-in-protein-design

A position for a postdoctoral research associate is available to work on protein design in the laboratory of Professor Dek Woolfson.  The group is internationally leading in the development of protein design for applications in chemical and synthetic biology.  The successful applicant will join a vibrant research team that combines bioinformatics and computational design, peptide and protein chemistry, biophysics and structural biology, and cell biology.  Expertise in computational biochemistry and/or structural biology would be a distinct advantage for this post, and applicants from these areas are particularly encouraged to apply.  However, we are keen to receive applications from ambitious and energetic individuals across the chemical and biochemical sciences or bioengineering with an interest in advancing protein design and its applications generally.

The post is available for an initial two-year period and is extendable to a further two years upon a successful start to the project.  This is funded by a grant from the Biotechnology and Biological Research Council of the UK.  The post-holder would be joined in year 2 by an expert in machine learning and virtual reality (VR) working in the laboratory of Dr David Glowacki (Chemistry, Bristol).  Together, these two post-doctoral research associates will develop VR methods to aid and advance the computational design of completely new proteins building on research programmes across the two labs (Thomson et al. (2014) Science 346:485-488; Wood et al. (2017) Bioinformatics 33:3043-3050; https://arxiv.org/pdf/1801.02884.pdf).  There will also be considerable opportunity to work with the international experimental and computational protein design and engineering communities.

Opportunity to join an exciting new start-up to develop insect tracking and quantification device via IoT

An exciting opportunity is available to work with a young up-and-coming start-up company.  As part of their research development, they are interested in creating an IoT demo device for insect tracking and quantification and could use some engineering help.

They are looking to make a device that can:

1. Use vision tech to classify broad categories of insects
2. Combine cloud-based hyper-localized data (weather conditions, time, etc.) with pollinator data. 
3. Develop an IoT edge device
4. Design a chemical release mechanism controlled electronically

The position is temporary to begin with, with a view to develop a permanent position in the future if the fit is right. The position would be based in London, but the company are open to applicants who aren't based in London, but are happy to travel on occasion.

ABOUT POM:

Insect pollinators provide a vital ecosystem service for crop pollination in wild plants, and over 75% of crops worldwide benefit from insect pollination through increased yields at harvest. The number of wild pollinators, especially bees is steadily declining. This documented decline poses a significant risk to the production of many crops and threatens food security.

POM encourages flies to be more efficient pollinators, in scenarios where bees are no longer as viable. Flies are already adept pollinators, being the main pollinators in urban environments, and in total, accounting for over 30% of all pollination.

POM provides horticultural growers with information on pollinators and environmental conditions and uses chemical volatiles to manage pollinating fly species, thereby increasing crop productivity, and ensuring sustainable food harvests for the future.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

We are looking to find an experienced Engineer who is interested in working with a young and exciting start-up that has recently taken on investment to develop an insect tracking IoT device.

The individual should have experience with working on Raspberry Pi, Cloud computing and IoT data connectivity. The position will report weekly developments to the POM team in our London office, and reports to the Senior Engineer remotely throughout the week.

This position is a two month contract with the potential to continue with the company after
the achievement of key milestones. Project Salary: £2,300+ per month

Click here to download the job description.

Interested? Contact hello@flypollination.com

www.flypollination.com

[Closes 26 Apr 2018] Bioinformatician - Single Cell Analysis at Earlham Institute

The Core Bioinformatics Group at the Earlham Institute (EI, Norwich, UK) is looking for an enthusiastic and dedicated Bioinformatician to support developments in single cell genomics at the institute. Apply here: http://www.earlham.ac.uk/bioinformatician-single-cell-analysis

The role:

This is a collaborative project with the successful candidate joining the group of Dr. David Swarbreck and working closely with wet and dry lab scientists in the groups of Dr. Iain Macaulay and Dr. Wilfried Haerty. The post-holder will establish and implement pipelines and processes for the analysis of single genome, epigenome and transcriptome data from a wide variety of biological systems. Delivering single cell data analysis in conjunction with faculty groups, the genomic pipelines team and external collaborators.

[Closes 26 Apr 2018] Bioinformatician - Genomics Pipelines at Earlham Institute

This position is within the Core Bioinformatics group working in collaboration with Ksenia Krasileva (University of California, Berkeley). Apply here: http://www.earlham.ac.uk/bioinformatician-genomics-pipelines

The role:

This group member will be working with the latest wheat genomic data and building a toolbox for functional analyses. Specifically, the candidate will be involved in developing software tools to help understand how new variation in NLR immune receptors is generated, updating variant calling pipelines to examine natural and induced variation in complex wheat genomes and integrating this information to enable functional characterization of wheat genes. The candidate will work independently and with members of the Swarbreck (EI) and Krasileva (UC Berkeley) Groups to develop computational tools and pipelines to analyse large datasets and interpret them in a variety of biological contexts.

[Closes 19 Apr 2018] Genomics Pipelines Senior Research Assistant (Automation) at Earlham Institute

Applications are invited for Senior Research Assistant to join the Genomics Pipelines Group at the Earlham Institute. Apply at http://www.earlham.ac.uk/genomics-pipelines-senior-research-assistant-automation

The role:

The SRA will support the automation of high-throughput workflows for the Genomics Pipelines group and the DNA Foundry at the Earlham Institute. The SRA will play a key role in automating, troubleshooting and streamlining both current and future pipelines in a rapidly changing and technology-led environment. The SRA will also assist production teams with the preparation of next-generation sequencing libraries and the building and testing of engineered organisms as required by customers’ and collaborators’ projects.

The SRA will work closely with other laboratory staff in Genomics Pipelines and DNA Foundry to plan, execute and deliver scheduled high throughput and/or novel techniques. The SRA will transition complex, and cutting-edge laboratory processes onto EI’s installed base of liquid handling robotics platforms, as well as ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of laboratory automation, and deliver training to other RAs using automated protocols for deployment into production.

The SRA will ensure efficient, effective and safe operations of the automation they are responsible for. They will train Research Assistants on using automated protocols until they are handed over for production.

The SRA’s work will support Earlham’s strategic science programmes and the National Capability in Genomics and Single Cell Analysis, and DNA foundry.

Calling all biomakers; we challenge you to find technical solutions for biology

This blog post was originally posted on the John Innes Centre Blog on 21.03.2018, and has been reproduced here with permission.

We are today launching the ‘Biomaker Challenge’; a four-month programme, taking place over the summer and challenging teams of people from different disciplines to build low-cost sensors and instruments for biology.

These could be anything from colorimeters to microfluidics and beyond. We’re looking for new, frugal and open source, DIY approaches to biological experiments.

Whether you’re a biologist looking to improve how you work, or pick up some electronics knowledge; an engineer looking to apply your skills and gain experience of practical biology or you’re just curious, we want to hear from you.

Participants will receive a Biomaker Toolkit and a discretionary budget for additional sensors, components, consumables and 3D-printing to help them realise their vision, with the entire package of support worth up to £1,000.

Teams should include at least one member who is a student or member of staff at either the University of Cambridge, John Innes Centre or the Earlham Institute, but external participants are also encouraged to join teams.

The challenge is designed to foster collaboration between institutes, therefore applications from teams composed of participants from multiple places are highly encouraged and will be looked upon favourably by the assessment panel.

Applications close on 11 May 2018.

We will be holding several events in Norwich and Cambridge to provide information about the Biomaker Challenge and help people to develop ideas, discover new collaborations or get involved with projects:

• 21 March, 7pm – Biomaker Challenge Launch, St Andrews Brewhouse, Norwich
• 9 April, 2:30-4:30pm – Challenge Info and Mixer Session, Chris Lamb Training Suite, John Innes Centre, Norwich
• 9 April, 6pm - Pre-Challenge Mixer, Postdoc Centre, 16 Mill Lane, Cambridge
• 19 April, 6:30pm - Pre-Challenge Mixer, Scholars Café Bar, Union House, University of East Anglia, Norwich

At the end of the challenge, you will be encouraged and expected to exhibit your device at a Biomaker Fayre in Cambridge on 3 November 2018.

Last year 40 interdisciplinary teams showcased their prototypes and prizes were awarded for the best technology, best biology and maker spirit.

One group develop a cell-free biological sensor to detect arsenic in water, another created a low-cost, pressurised liquid chromatography system for protein purification, and a third developed a new, cost-effective way to take a series of macro images and stacking them in order to create one larger, in-focus, image. There are tools available that already do this, but they are very expensive so this project looked at how it could be done cheaper. Encouragingly, the group have since gone on to secure additional funding to take their project further.

We aim for all biomaker projects to be publicly documented with full technical instructions and equipment specifications on Hackster.io. This provides anyone around the world with the ability to replicate or adapt what our groups have done, boosting the reach and impact their ideas can have.

Norwich biomakers

There is a Norwich hub for biomaker activities; the Norwich Biomakers meetup group, which brings together a variety of people interested in biology, design, technology, engineering, electronics, software, art and more, to learn from each other about the latest technologies and science advances.

Established in September 2017, the group organises monthly themed events and gives access to a network of nearly 140 biomakers with a broad range of expertise.

Whether biology provides the question, the solution or the inspiration, as an interdisciplinary group we can explore together to generate and share new ideas and skills, find solutions, form collaborations and most importantly, have fun.

Despite only being established for 6 months, we have already seen 3 new collaborations established between researchers on the Norwich Research Park and external people with, for example, electronics expertise, on bioelectricity projects.

We’ve also enjoyed a series of talks at these events from prestigious speakers from the University of East Anglia, as well as from the John Innes Centre and have at least 2 events, each month planned between now and July.

We are always open to new members, check out our online group to find out more and register.

The Biomaker Challenge is administered by the BBSRC/EPSRC-funded OpenPlant Synthetic Biology Research Centre and the Cambridge University Synthetic Biology Strategic Research Initiative.

Norwich Biomakers is supported by OpenPlant SBRC and Innovation New Anglia through the European Regional Development Fund.

DIY macrophotography and embracing the challenge of video documentation

Dr Jennifer Deegan has been awarded an OpenPlant Fund grant to develop teaching materials to enable others to build duplicates of her focus stacking photography setup, and to capture images that can be used for teaching and publications in plant sciences. We caught up with her to find out what she has been up to and how her project is progressing.

Full details of her project can be found on the biomaker.org website.

Jennifer, please can you give a brief overview of your project?

Jennifer Deegan: The project follows on from my Biomaker 2017 project to build a low budget DIY Focus stacking photography system. The system takes photographs of tiny plant specimens about 2mm across, with the entire specimen in focus.

An image of a gametophyte fern, captured using the DIY Focus stacking photography system

In the past it was not possible to take photographs of such tiny specimens and have them fully in focus. This was because single images taken at high magnification had only a very shallow depth of field. With this new technique we take about 40 photographs of a tiny specimen, with the camera moving progressively towards the subject. Then all of the focused parts of the images are cut out and amalgamated together into one fully focused image.

Commercial systems are available to do this, but they are very expensive. The more affordable ones only move the camera in increments of 2 micrometres. This is not small enough for use at very high magnification. Our system is very cheap and can moved in increments down to about 1/128th of a micrometre.

The DIY Focus stacking photography system

As part of this OpenPlant project we have two goals:

• Document the construction of the focus stacking system so that others can copy it.
• Use the system to take plant photos that have never before been possible. These photos will then be made available for plant science teaching and text books.

What inspired the project?

JD: I have always been frustrated that there are no great photos of fern gametophytes anywhere. Fern gametophytes have a very interesting planar heart shaped structure that is brought about by a tightly choreographed series of cell divisions. In the literature they are usually drawn by hand, because they are too small to be photographed in full focus. During my career break to raise my son, I have been working at home as a volunteer, to try to build a system that can take good, full focus, high magnification photographs of these structures.

What has been your favourite aspect of the project so far?

JD: The judges asked me to document my system using videos rather than just in writing. This threw me for a loop initially as I have never made video and didn't have the equipment. However, I have managed to cobble a system together, and am loving my new craft. The time, nuance and attention to detail that is needed to make a short video is amazing. The photo below shows the many photo, video and sound files that I had to record and line up in order to create one short video.  I'm now the proud owner of a YouTube channel. (You can visit it, and the other documentation on GitHub and Hackster via www.chlorophyllosophy.uk)

Editing videos that explain how the focus stacking system works

What are the biggest challenges you have come across?

JD: There have been a lot of challenges, particularly with the transition from written documentation to video.

The biggest problem is that my laptop is ten years old and is a bit slow for editing video. It cannot play my videos at full speed, so I have to upload them to YouTube between editing session to see what they look like. Saving the files out for upload to YouTube takes 2.5 hours for each video, so it is a slow process.

The DSLR filming the focus stacking setup, with decoy camera body in place

One of my funniest solved problems is that my DSLR is the only camera that I have that can record video, but it also has to appear in the videos. I got around this problem by putting my 27-year-old film SLR as a body double in the videos. The photo to the right shows my DSLR filming the focus stacking setup, with decoy camera body in place. It’s great fun editing the sound of the camera shutter into the finished video.

My other challenge is making these rather technical videos engaging to watch. There is a definite risk of them coming over as a bit dry, and so I try to keep them short and make the images interesting. I think that if I can improve my editing equipment at some point, I could make my videos much more engaging.

I’m really enjoying making educational videos and would like to keep doing this work after the end of the OpenPlant grant. I’ve been in touch with the University Public Engagement Office, who have been very helpful, and I’m hoping to learn some tips from them.

You have been awarded both a Biomaker Challenge and OpenPlant Fund grant. How have these enabled the development of the project?

JD: My work absolutely could not have been done without these grants. Most of the work has been done through collaboration, volunteer labour, and home engineering. However, the grants paid for the microscope objectives. Without these amazing lenses, I could not have done the work.

How do you feel the project is progressing?

JD: I think it's going very well. I have four good videos already online, and a lot of written documentation. I have registered a new domain (www.chlorophyllosophy.uk) as a central doorway to all of the material, and I still have lots of ideas for other videos to make.

Two out of three of my lenses have arrived and I am looking forward to taking some great photos. My Utricularia gibba (bladderwort) plants are growing well in their casserole dish. Utricularia gibba is a small, carnivorous aquatic plant that develops traps to capture its prey. They are being studied by my collaborator Christopher Whitewoods at the John Innes Centre and I have already taken my first few photos of them, as the new traps develop. The traps have a beautiful structure, and as an aquatic plant, will be a great challenge to photograph.

I hope soon also to visit the Sainsbury Laboratory in Cambridge to photograph the trichome mutant phenotypes in Arabidopsis thaliana, belonging to my collaborator Aleksandr Gavrin. I really look forward to the challenge of photographing trichomes, that will have other trichomes behind to confuse my software.

I have also just sewn a new batch of fern spores and those plants will be a real treat to photograph when the time comes.

What are the future opportunities to take this project forward?

JD: One of the biggest pitfalls for photographers is that they become so fascinated by the stream of newer and better camera equipment, that they forget to actually take any photos. I think that in the next couple of years, it's very important that I actually take the time to take some photographs. With this new technology that I have built, and with the opportunity of my volunteer labour, these will add hugely to the body of research knowledge.

Jennifer's project is also documented on Github: https://github.com/BioMakers/Gametophyte-Fern-photography-2018/blob/master/README.md

[Closing March 6 - April 10] Several lectureship opportunities at Edinburgh University

Lecturer or Senior Lecturer in Synthetic Biology (vacancy ref: 042732)

We seek an excellent scientist and inspiring teacher who uses synthetic biology methods in research programmes such as genome engineering, biotechnology, metabolic engineering, genetic circuit design and engineering (both in vivo and cell free), bio-sensing, multi-cellularity and tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, novel vaccine development or addresses key questions in molecular or cell biology. The Edinburgh Genome Foundry’s facilities for automated DNA assembly can support large-scale synthetic biology and synthetic genomics research and we would be particularly enthusiastic about research programmes that took advantage of these capabilities.

Closing date – March 22nd

Contact – Prof Susan Rosser (Susan.Rosser@ed.ac.uk)

Lecturer in Biological Mass Spectrometry (vacancy ref: 042692)

We seek an excellent scientist and inspiring teacher who applies mass spectrometry (MS) in innovative ways to tackle major challenges in biology. We are looking for researcher who is addressing key questions in areas such as cell biology, structural biology, immunology, microbiology, biotechnology or systems biology, by exploiting the unique sensitivity, accuracy and resolving power of modern and emerging MS techniques.

Closing date – April 5th 2018

Contact – Prof Paul Barlow (Paul.Barlow@ed.ac.uk)

Lecturer in Computational Biology (vacancy ref: 042673)

We seek an excellent scientist and inspiring teacher who uses and develops computational and modelling techniques to address key questions in biology. We welcome applications from researchers in all areas of computational biology, and we are particularly looking for those working in the following fields: metabolism, such as the application of flux balance analysis and the analysis and interpretation of data from metabolomics and fluxomics experiments; multi-scale modelling of biological systems, including formal modelling techniques and stochastic modelling; and data science approaches to biological research, including the analysis of data from next generation sequencing.

Closing Date - 13th March 2018

Contact – Prof Peter Swain or Prof Guido Sanguinetti (Peter.swain@ed.ac.uk or gsanguin@inf.ed.ac.uk)

Lecturer in Stem cell Biology (vacancy ref 042667)

We seek an excellent scientist and inspiring teacher who addresses key questions in stem cell biology or developmental biology that are directly relevant to stem cell or regenerative biology. We particularly encourage applications from candidates who employ single cell or synthetic approaches

Closing Date – April 10th

Contact – Prof Donal O’Carroll Donal.ocarroll@ed.ac.uk

Lecturer in Molecular Crop Science (vacancy ref: 042668)

We seek a creative scientist and inspiring teacher who applies molecular approaches to address important fundamental and translational questions in plant biology that are relevant to crop improvement and food security.

Closing Date – March 15th

Contact – Prof Andrew Hudson (Andrew.hudson@ed.ac.uk)

Lectureship in Biochemistry (vacancy ref 042671)

This four-year lectureship position offers an outstanding opportunity to develop an independent teaching and research programme. We seek an excellent scientist and inspiring teacher to join a group of successful scientists with teaching and research interests across RNA and cell biology, synthetic biology, systems biology, biochemistry and biotechnology. At Edinburgh we emphasise cross-disciplinary thinking in a collaborative and well-supported environment. You will benefit from this to build your own portfolio of research and scholarship. You will make an important contribution to the development and delivery of high-quality and inspirational undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, including the opportunity to develop eLearning and on-line education initiatives. You will have a PhD in a relevant area of biology or chemistry and a published record of research, along with a successful track record of developing innovative and engaging teaching.

Closing Date – March 6

Contact – Prof Paul Barlow (paul.barlow@ed.ac.uk)

For all roles, please apply online at vacancies.ed.ac.uk