1
|
Yan X, Liu X, Zhao C, Chen GQ. Applications of synthetic biology in medical and pharmaceutical fields. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:199. [PMID: 37169742 PMCID: PMC10173249 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01440-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Synthetic biology aims to design or assemble existing bioparts or bio-components for useful bioproperties. During the past decades, progresses have been made to build delicate biocircuits, standardized biological building blocks and to develop various genomic/metabolic engineering tools and approaches. Medical and pharmaceutical demands have also pushed the development of synthetic biology, including integration of heterologous pathways into designer cells to efficiently produce medical agents, enhanced yields of natural products in cell growth media to equal or higher than that of the extracts from plants or fungi, constructions of novel genetic circuits for tumor targeting, controllable releases of therapeutic agents in response to specific biomarkers to fight diseases such as diabetes and cancers. Besides, new strategies are developed to treat complex immune diseases, infectious diseases and metabolic disorders that are hard to cure via traditional approaches. In general, synthetic biology brings new capabilities to medical and pharmaceutical researches. This review summarizes the timeline of synthetic biology developments, the past and present of synthetic biology for microbial productions of pharmaceutics, engineered cells equipped with synthetic DNA circuits for diagnosis and therapies, live and auto-assemblied biomaterials for medical treatments, cell-free synthetic biology in medical and pharmaceutical fields, and DNA engineering approaches with potentials for biomedical applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xu Yan
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China
| | - Xu Liu
- PhaBuilder Biotech Co. Ltd., Shunyi District, Zhaoquan Ying, 101309, Beijing, China
| | - Cuihuan Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China
| | - Guo-Qiang Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China.
- Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China.
- MOE Key Lab for Industrial Biocatalysis, Dept Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Fitzgerald M, Gibbs C, Shimpi AA, Deans TL. Adoption of the Q Transcriptional System for Regulating Gene Expression in Stem Cells. ACS Synth Biol 2017; 6:2014-2020. [PMID: 28776984 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The field of mammalian synthetic biology seeks to engineer enabling technologies to create novel approaches for programming cells to probe, perturb, and regulate gene expression with unprecedented precision. To accomplish this, new genetic parts continue to be identified that can be used to build novel genetic circuits to re-engineer cells to perform specific functions. Here, we establish a new transcription-based genetic circuit that combines genes from the quinic acid sensing metabolism of Neorospora crassa and the bacterial Lac repressor system to create a new orthogonal genetic tool to be used in mammalian cells. This work establishes a novel genetic tool, called LacQ, that functions to regulate gene expression in Chinese hamster ovarian (CHO) cells, human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells, and in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Fitzgerald
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Chelsea Gibbs
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Adrian A Shimpi
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Tara L Deans
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Juliar BA, Bromley MM, Moncion A, Jones DC, O’Neill EG, Wilson CG, Franceschi RT, Fabiilli ML. In Situ Transfection by Controlled Release of Lipoplexes Using Acoustic Droplet Vaporization. Adv Healthc Mater 2016; 5:1764-74. [PMID: 27191532 PMCID: PMC4956527 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201600008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Revised: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Localized delivery of nucleic acids to target sites (e.g., diseased tissue) is critical for safe and efficacious gene therapy. An ultrasound-based technique termed acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV) has been used to spatiotemporally control the release of therapeutic small molecules and proteins contained within sonosensitive emulsions. Here, ADV is used to control the release of lipoplex-containing plasmid DNA encoding an enhanced green fluorescent protein reporter-from a sonosensitive emulsion. Focused ultrasound (3.5 MHz, mechanical index (MI) ≥ 1.5) generates robust release of fluorescein (i.e., surrogate payload) and lipoplex from the emulsion. In situ release of the lipoplex from the emulsion using ADV (MI = 1.5, 30 cycles) yields a 55% release efficiency, resulting in 43% transfection efficiency and 95% viability with C3H/10T1/2 cells. Without exposure to ultrasound, the release and transfection efficiencies are 5% and 7%, respectively, with 99% viability. Lipoplex released by ADV retains its bioactivity while the ADV process does not yield any measureable sonoporative enhancement of transfection. Co-encapsulation of Ficoll PM 400 within the lipoplex-loaded emulsion, and its subsequent release using ADV, yield higher transfection efficiency than the lipoplex alone. The results demonstrate that ADV can have utility in the spatiotemporal control of gene delivery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin A. Juliar
- Department of Radiology, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Melissa M. Bromley
- Department of Radiology, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Alexander Moncion
- Department of Radiology, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Applied Physics Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Denise C. Jones
- Department of Radiology, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Eric G. O’Neill
- Department of Radiology, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | | | - Renny T. Franceschi
- School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Mario L. Fabiilli
- Department of Radiology, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Applied Physics Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Hughes JH, Kumar S. Synthetic mechanobiology: engineering cellular force generation and signaling. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2016; 40:82-89. [PMID: 27023733 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2016.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2015] [Revised: 03/01/2016] [Accepted: 03/03/2016] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Mechanobiology seeks to understand and control mechanical and related biophysical communication between cells and their surroundings. While experimental efforts in this field have traditionally emphasized manipulation of the extracellular force environment, a new suite of approaches has recently emerged in which cell phenotype and signaling are controlled by directly engineering the cell itself. One route is to control cell behavior by modulating gene expression using conditional promoters. Alternatively, protein activity can be actuated directly using synthetic protein ligands, chemically induced protein dimerization, optogenetic strategies, or functionalized magnetic nanoparticles. Proof-of-principle studies are already demonstrating the translational potential of these approaches, and future technological development will permit increasingly precise control over cell mechanobiology and improve our understanding of the underlying signaling events.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine Hannah Hughes
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, United States; UC Berkeley - UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering, United States
| | - Sanjay Kumar
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Rivera-Delgado E, Ward E, von Recum HA. Providing sustained transgene induction through affinity-based drug delivery. J Biomed Mater Res A 2016; 104:1135-42. [DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.35643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2015] [Revised: 12/16/2015] [Accepted: 01/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Emily Ward
- Department of Biomedical Engineering; Case Western Reserve University Cleveland; Ohio
| | - Horst A. von Recum
- Department of Biomedical Engineering; Case Western Reserve University Cleveland; Ohio
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Punnakitikashem P, Truong D, Menon JU, Nguyen KT, Hong Y. Electrospun biodegradable elastic polyurethane scaffolds with dipyridamole release for small diameter vascular grafts. Acta Biomater 2014; 10:4618-4628. [PMID: 25110284 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2014.07.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2014] [Revised: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 07/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Acellular biodegradable small diameter vascular grafts (SDVGs) require antithrombosis, intimal hyperplasia inhibition and rapid endothelialization to improve the graft patency. However, current antithrombosis and antiproliferation approaches often conflict with endothelial cell layer formation on SDVGs. To address this limitation, biodegradable elastic polyurethane urea (BPU) and the drug dipyridamole (DPA) were mixed and then electrospun into a biodegradable fibrous scaffold. The BPU would provide the appropriate mechanical support, while the DPA in the scaffold would offer biofunctions as required above. We found that the resulting scaffolds had tensile strengths and strains comparable with human coronary artery. The DPA in the scaffolds was continuously released up to 91 days in phosphate buffer solution at 37 °C, with a low burst release within the first 3 days. Compared to BPU alone, improved non-thrombogenicity of the DPA-loaded BPU scaffolds was evidenced with extended human blood clotting time, lower TAT complex concentration, lower hemolysis and reduced human platelet deposition. The scaffolds with a higher DPA content (5 and 10%) inhibited proliferation of human aortic smooth muscle cell significantly. Furthermore, the DPA-loaded scaffolds had no adverse effect on human aortic endothelial cell growth, yet it improved their proliferation. The attractive mechanical properties and biofunctions of the DPA-loaded BPU scaffold indicate its potential as an acellular biodegradable SDVG for vascular replacement.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Primana Punnakitikashem
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA; Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Danh Truong
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA; Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Jyothi U Menon
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA; Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Kytai T Nguyen
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA; Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Yi Hong
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA; Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Biomolecule delivery to engineer the cellular microenvironment for regenerative medicine. Ann Biomed Eng 2013; 42:1557-72. [PMID: 24170072 DOI: 10.1007/s10439-013-0932-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2013] [Accepted: 10/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
To realize the potential of regenerative medicine, controlling the delivery of biomolecules in the cellular microenvironment is important as these factors control cell fate. Controlled delivery for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine often requires bioengineered materials and cells capable of spatiotemporal modulation of biomolecule release and presentation. This review discusses biomolecule delivery from the outside of the cell inwards through the delivery of soluble and insoluble biomolecules as well as from the inside of the cell outwards through gene transfer. Ex vivo and in vivo therapeutic strategies are discussed, as well as combination delivery of biomolecules, scaffolds, and cells. Various applications in regenerative medicine are highlighted including bone tissue engineering and wound healing.
Collapse
|
8
|
Javaherian S, Anesiadis N, Mahadevan R, McGuigan AP. Design principles for generating robust gene expression patterns in dynamic engineered tissues. Integr Biol (Camb) 2013; 5:578-89. [PMID: 23369944 DOI: 10.1039/c3ib20274g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Recapitulating native tissue organization is a central challenge in regenerative medicine as it is critical for generating functional tissues. One strategy to generate engineered tissues with predictable and appropriate organization is to mimic the gene expression patterning process that organizes tissues in the developing embryo. In a developing embryo, correct organization is accomplished by tissue patterning via the generation of temporal and spatial patterns of gene expression coupled with, and leading to, extensive cellular re-organization. Methods to pattern gene expression in vitro could therefore provide both better models for understanding the cellular and molecular events taking place during tissue morphogenesis and novel strategies for engineering tissues with more realistic and complex architectures. While a few attempts have been made to genetically pattern tissues in vitro, these do not produce sharp predictable patterning. In both the embryo and an in vitro tissue, patterning often occurs during extensive cell re-organization but how the dynamics of gene induction and cell re-distribution interact to impact the final outcome of patterning and ultimately tissue organization is not known. Understanding this relationship and the system parameters that dictate robust pattern formation is critical for engineering genetic patterning in vitro to organize artificial tissues. We set out to identify key requirements for pattern formation by patterning gene expression in vitro in sheets of re-distributing cells using a drug-inducible gene expression system and patterned drug delivery to mimic morphogen gene induction. Based on our experimental observations, we develop a mathematical model that allows us to identify and experimentally verify the conditions under which generation of sharp gene expression patterns is possible in vitro. Our results highlight the importance of coordinating gene induction dynamics and cellular movement in order to achieve robust pattern formation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sahar Javaherian
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College St., Toronto, ON M5S 3E5, Canada
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Abstract
Combining synthetic biology and materials science will enable more advanced studies of cellular regulatory processes, in addition to facilitating therapeutic applications of engineered gene networks. One approach is to couple genetic inducers into biomaterials, thereby generating 3D microenvironments that are capable of controlling intrinsic and extrinsic cellular events. Here, we have engineered biomaterials to present the genetic inducer, IPTG, with different modes of activating genetic circuits in vitro and in vivo. Gene circuits were activated in materials with IPTG embedded within the scaffold walls or chemically linked to the matrix. In addition, systemic applications of IPTG were used to induce genetic circuits in cells encapsulated into materials and implanted in vivo. The flexibility of modifying biomaterials with genetic inducers allows for patterned placement of these inducers that can be used to generate distinct patterns of gene expression. Together, these genetically interactive materials can be used to characterize genetic circuits in environments that more closely mimic cells' natural 3D settings, to better explore complex cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions, and to facilitate therapeutic applications of synthetic biology.
Collapse
|
10
|
WU X, MA L, GAO C. REPARATION OF SULFONATED CHITOSAN AND ITS ABILITY TO PROTECT bFGF ACTIVITES. ACTA POLYM SIN 2012. [DOI: 10.3724/sp.j.1105.2012.11230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
|
11
|
Artificial Scaffolds and Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Hard Tissues. ADVANCES IN BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING/BIOTECHNOLOGY 2011; 126:153-94. [DOI: 10.1007/10_2011_115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
|