Synthetic Biology

Rice University has over twenty Synthetic Biology Research Groups, which share the goal of overcoming central challenges in engineering biology. These labs are pioneering new tools, technologies and theories to transform our ability to predictably design biological systems. This includes development of programmable biological parts for constructing genetic circuits, resolving design rules for creating multicellular genetic programs that have complex temporal and spatial behaviors, and developing safe strategies to test and use synthetic systems in real, complex settings. These groups apply these advances to a range of synthetic biology applications—delivering biological solutions to improve health, enable sustainable practices, and yield bioelectronics technologies.

Foundational Tools