Synthetic Biology aims to design genetic circuits to e.g. cure diseases and produce organic compounds in a cheap and energy efficient manner. Automated design of experiments and identification of reliable dynamical models in closed loop has the potential to speed up the design of such genetic circuits by enabling the use of common tools in Automatic Control.

To this aim we propose to develop a technological platform that hinging on automated imaging of live cells, achieves optimal design of experiment and model identification by integrating experiment design, videomicroscopy, and microfluidics in closed loop. This technology is an enabler for the creation of a Synthetic Biology based industry that we foresee and could give Taiwan and Scotland a first mover advantage.

This project only covers visiting of Prof. Menolascina to National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan and Prof. Nordling to University of Edinburgh, Scotland during two years. Our goal is to gain a better understanding of the problems involved in closing the experimentation loop in Synthetic biology through these visits.

Keywords: Synthetic biology, Systems biology, Experiment design, Dynamical systems, System identification, Automated design of experiments, Closed-loop, Optimal experiment design, Automatic control, Genetic circuit, Microfluidics

系統生物學與合成生物學: 微流體內自動檢測和圖像處理來推斷及重新設計基因電路

合成生物學目的為設計基因電路，例如:以經濟及有效率的方法治癒疾 病和產生有機化合物。在閉迴路裡的實驗自動化設計和可靠動態模型的 辨識,具有使用自動控制方式來加速基因電路設計的潛能。為了這個目 標，我們提出建構一個科技化平臺,此平臺取決於活細胞的自動化影像 ，藉由整合實驗設計、視頻顯微鏡和閉迴路的微流體技術來達成實驗設 計的理想化和辨識模型 。此技術能驅使以合成生物學為基礎的工業生 產，我們期待可以為台灣和蘇格蘭帶來先趨優勢。

關鍵字: 合成生物學、系統生物學、實驗設計、動力系統、系統識別、實驗自動化設計、閉環、優化實驗設計、自動控制、遺傳電路、微流體

Principal Investigators: Ass. Prof. Torbjörn Nordling and Chancellor’s Fellow Filippo Menolascina, University of Edinburgh

Sponsors: Ministry of Science and Technology in Taiwan and Royal Society of Edinburgh in U.K.

Grant identifiers: 105-2911-I-006-518, 106-2911-I-006-504

Duration: 2016-04-01 to 2018-03-31.

Members: Chi-Ching Hsu, Rain Wu, Lewis Hsu, Torbjörn Nordling