Scaling up complexity in synthetic developmental biology

Abstract

The application of synthetic biology approaches to study development opens the possibility to build and manipulate developmental processes to understand them better. Researchers have reconstituted fundamental developmental processes, such as cell patterning and sorting, by engineering gene circuits in vitro. Moreover, new tools have been created that allow for the control of developmental processes in more complex organoids and embryos. Synthetic approaches allow testing of which components are sufficient to reproduce a developmental process and under which conditions as well as what effect perturbations have on other processes. We envision that the future of synthetic developmental biology requires an increase in the diversity of available tools and further efforts to combine multiple developmental processes into one system.

Programmable synthetic receptors: the next-generation of cell and gene therapies

“…Apart from biomedical applications, synthetic receptors have been widely adopted in the fundamental research. 29 They are powerful tools to investigate various aspects of cell signaling and behaviors, including cell differentiation, migration and morphogenesis, in a controlled and precise manner. 30 For example, researches have used synNotch receptors to program engineered-cells to self-organize into multicellular structures in response to juxtacrine signaling 31 – 34 (Fig.…”

Compressive molding of engineered tissues via thermoresponsive hydrogel devices

“…12,13 These successes collectively demonstrate that hybrid multi-scale engineering of organoids and assembly via bioprinting or positioning is a promising strategy to reconstruct and study developmental processes in vitro, in more complex models than can be achieved with single-type organoids. 14 A potential limitation in this hybrid approach is that the shape of the building block organoid is largely uncontrolled, which in turn limits the tissue patterns that can be created. While some techniques have been developed to influence organoid shape, [15][16][17] these strategies either leave embedded structures within the tissues, or will require modification of existing culture protocols which may unexpectedly affect organoid function.…”

“…12,13 These successes collectively demonstrate that hybrid multi-scale engineering of organoids and assembly via bioprinting or positioning is a promising strategy to reconstruct and study developmental processes in vitro , in more complex models than can be achieved with single-type organoids. 14…”

Design and Mathematical Analysis of Activating Amplifiers that Enable Modular Temporal Control in Synthetic Circuits

“…Although an emerging field, synthetic biology has already begun branching into two notable subfields: synthetic development and synthetic immunotherapy 1–6 . In synthetic development, researchers are engineering mammalian cells to control self-organization; the goal is to further understanding of native developmental processes and regenerative therapeutics 1, 4, 5, 7, 8 .…”