The behaviour of natural and synthetic cell-based systems is controlled by networks of genes and gene products.  Synthetic biology offers the potential to modify these genetic programmes, either by reworking existing pathways or by introducing complete, designed, synthetic multi-component pathways.  

The behaviour of even the simplest of these synthetic genetic programmes can be difficult to predict because of the many steps involved in the production, interaction, regulation and degradation of the components.  Mathematical modelling is therefore an essential step in most efforts to reprogram cells predictably.  The complexity becomes even greater when working at the population level.  Successfully manipulating the behaviour of populations of engineered cells that are capable of influencing one another's behaviour is a substantial challenge, but opens up exciting possibilities in "biological computing", the use of engineered cells to control the aberrant activity of host cells in medical applications, and synthetic multicellular organisms. 

This strand of the BrisSynBio research programme will address the reprogramming and control of single cells, cell populations and cells in multicellular organisms.  We envisage that work in this strand will find applications in: whole-cell biosensors for the detection, analysis and remediation of aromatic pollutants; the use of engineered cells to control cell populations; and the development of wheat strains with the potential to revolutionize wheat breeding for agriculturally important traits.