Engineered Biology

Nanophotonic platform for the synthesis of long and diverse oligonucleotides to enable genome-scale synthetic biology.

About the Technology

Synthetic DNA is indispensable for synthetic biology as it forms the molecular sequence into which the genetic information is encoded. Current solid-phase DNA synthesis platforms cannot meet the demand for high fidelity synthesis of long and diverse oligo sequences required to fuel the fast-expanding frontiers of synthetic biology.

This project exploits the tunable optical response of nanostructured optical antennas to develop B-MOS (acronym for Metasurface Oligonucleotide Synthesizer for Engineered Biology) as a novel platform for DNA synthesis. It could selectively activate a desired synthesis site in a large array by switching the wavelength and polarization of the optical excitation to synthesize a unique sequence at each location, thereby eliminating accumulating reaction errors stemming from misalignment of optical beams or inkjet printheads with the synthesis sites. Photothermal heating of the synthesis sites can not only drive the thermolytic deblocking for oligo synthesis but also the heat cycles for PCR amplification. The synthesized and amplified sequences could be microfluidically segregated into homogenous oligo pools for subsequent assembly of genes that span the genomes of many organisms.

Equipped with long and high-quality genes, synthetic biology can explore an extended set of genetic possibilities to engineer increasingly complex artificial biological systems that could address the most pressing challenges across healthcare, food security, energy, environment, sustainability, materials and information technology.

Team Members