Synthetic biology integrates the knowledge obtained using systems biology approaches and the detailed analysis of molecular machines to produce organisms having novel capabilities or combinations of capabilities. In the post-genomic era, anyone with an internet connection has a wealth of data at their fingertips about the metabolic capabilities of many known (and many unknown) organisms through databases like KEGG, BRENDA, and SEED,   Furthermore, many of the molecular machines that have been characterized are publicly available from repositories such as the Registry of Standard Biological Parts in a form designed for easy and modular recombination in chassis organisms such as E. coli, S. cerevisiae (brewer’s yeast), or Synechocystis 6803. In the words of Jay Keasling, “We have got to the point in human history where we simply do not have to accept what nature has given us.”

Projects in our lab are ongoing to enhance the production of biofuels and other chemicals in photosynthetic organisms through the expression of foreign genes and by modulating the expression of native genes. As a lab that has taken a leading role in the systems-level understanding of photosynthetic microbes over the last decade, we strive to apply that knowledge as leaders in the systems-level improvement of these organisms for industrial use in the coming era.