Pfizer and MIT’s Synthetic Biology Center (MIT SBC) will now collaborately transform the use of synthethic biology research for drug discovery and development. In a three years agreemnet signed, multiple therapeutic areas at Pfizer will be collaborately used by core researchers at MIT SBC.
“We look forward to expanding our relationship with Pfizer to advance research in synthetic biology,” says Doug Lauffenburger, the Ford Professor of Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering and head of MIT’s Department of Biological Engineering. “This collaboration supports our goal to develop sophisticated synthetic biological systems from standardized, well-characterized modular parts for useful application in multiple fields, including biopharmaceutical molecular and bioprocess design.”
Till present, biotech sector has upsurged with novel innovations but the bio-manufacturing domain of it is still lacking behind with several faulty areas including the time and money factor. This arena has remained unchanged since begining and the standards need to be re-evaluated to manufacture drugs that are most cost -efficient.
The emerging field of synthetic biology leverages current biotech efforts and integrates them with systems biology theory to establish a new paradigm of engineering biopharmaceuticals with a computational system. Combination of both computer science and design engineering concepts to biological systems, synthetic biologists are creating molecular and computational tools that enable precise regulation of cellular and genetic processes. The ability to use synthetic biology parts as “programmable entities” presents an opportunity to potentially create a new Biotechnology process that is more likely to promote innovation, accelerate discovery, reduce clinical failures, and ultimately be more cost-efficient.
The synthetic biology technologies anticipated for development in this collaboration between the MIT SBC and Pfizer include methods for cellular genome engineering to support next-generation Protein expression systems.
“Biologics based in recombinant DNA technology have transformed the treatment of many diseases over the last few decades,” said Jose Carlos Gutierrez-Ramos, group senior vice president and head of Pfizer’s BioTherapeutics Research and Development. “We are reaching a key inflection point where advances in synthetic biology have the potential to rapidly accelerate and improve biotherapeutics drug discovery and development, from early-stage candidate discovery through product supply, which could bring better, more effective therapies to patients more rapidly.”
The prime goal of synthetic biology is to make the design of novel biological systems appllied practically. Key to this is the development of an engineering methodology based on systems biology theory and the use of standardized and well-characterized interchangeable parts.
Potential applications for synthetic biology encompass diagnostics, therapeutics, sensors, environmental remediation, energy production, and other biomolecular and chemical manufacturing outputs. Synthetic biology may also provide insight into fundamental biological principles and improve quantitative understanding of the living world.
The MIT SBC is an interdisciplinary research and educational initiative of the Department of Biological Engineering, which integrates faculty from other MIT departments. The mission of the MIT SBC is to develop and advance the engineering discipline for this emerging field, and train its future leaders.
Source : MIT
Latest News Updates
Ranbaxy and Teva settle over conspiracy with NY Attorney General
AP Govt planning to rope in an investment of Rs. 20,000 crores in life science sector
Bayer claims success in Hemophilia study, however the race with Biogen is still on !!
To Rule The Largest Market You Have To Have The Highest Quality - US FDA Chief To India