Our Centre

Our history and organisation

Centre Launch Ceremony — Centre Launch: Prof Susan Rosser (Director) and Dr Rowan McKibbin (BBSRC)

The UK Centre for Mammalian Synthetic Biology was funded in 2014 by the BBSRC, EPSRC and MRC and the UK Research Council's Synthetic Biology for Growth Programme.

Our research in mammalian synthetic biology builds on more than a decade of multidisciplinary research in synthetic and systems biology at Edinburgh (SynthSys). It also embraces our world-leading expertise in cell biology, epigenetics, stem cell biology, and in human and veterinary medicine.

Vision

Our vision is to pioneer the development of the tools and technologies needed to realise the full potential of engineered biology for human and animal health and wellbeing.

Expertise

We have expertise in tools for cell engineering, whole-cell modelling, DNA assembly and high-throughput screening to enable synthetic biology in mammalian systems.

We are advancing basic understanding of mammalian cell biology while generating tools and technologies for near-term commercial exploitation. This work is underpinned by the exploration of responsible research and innovation, the development of standards, and how engagement with the public can inform design.

Our work benefits medicine and healthcare through innovation for the production of biologics, vaccine development, gene and cell therapies, novel diagnostics and sensors, stem cell engineering and regenerative medicine.

Governance

The Centre's Leadership and Management team contribute to planning and can make swift decisions on issues such as hiring, research, outreach and fund raising. We are also delighted to have a prestigious International Science Advisory Board who meet every 18 months to discuss the Centre's progress against objectives.

Centre Management and Operations Team

Professor Susan Rosser – Director

Professor Alistair Elfick – Deputy Director

Dr Lorraine Kerr – Commercial Relations Manager

Dr Emma Elliot – Business Development Manager

Ms Julie Fyffe – Centre Administrator

Previous team member

Dr Liz Fletcher – Centre Manager (2014- 2021)

Executive Management Team

As above plus

Professor Andrew Millar – data management and open access

Professor Steve Pollard – links to medicine

Dr Jane Calvert – Responsible Research and Innovation

International Science Advisory Board

Professor Martin Fussenegger – ETH Zurich

Professor Ron Weiss – MIT, Boston

Professor Steve Michnick – University of Montreal

Professor Roman Jerala – National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana

Professor Jim Haselhof – Open Plant/University of Cambridge

Dr Axel Trefzer – Thermo Fisher

Professor Michele Garfinkel – EMBO

Dr Mary McElroy – Charles River Labs

Dr Jamie Parkin – BBSRC

Dr Karen Davies– EPSRC

Dr Tim Cullingford – MRC

Partners

The Centre is delighted to collaborate with both academic and industrial researchers right across the globe.

We are active participants in UK and Scottish hubs for innovation and translation of engineered biology and collaborate with the other UK Synthetic Biology research centres.

Our Commerical Partners:

Our International Collaborators:

Our Partner Centres:

Our Centre is one of six UK centres for multidisciplinary synthetic biology research centres, each with a unique focus of research and translation activity. Further information about these Centres can be found below.

SYNBIOCHEM - Manchester - Fine and Speciality Chemicals

BrisSynBio - Bristol - Biomolecular Design and Engineering

WISB - Warwick - Plant and Microbial Systems

Open Plant - Cambridge/John Innes - Tools for A Sustainable Future

SBRC Nottingham - Nottingham - C1-based Chemicals and Fuels