Our research interests are in the intersection of synthetic and systems biology, mathematics and control theory. Our research is largely motivated by numerous prospective applications that include: biosensors, smart drugs, synthetic tissue formation, and energy production. Our work is supported by NSF-CBET, NIH-NIGMS, NIH-NIAMS, SRC-TxACE, and the University of Texas at Dallas.

Suggested reading and news:

Synthetic incoherent feedforward circuits show adaptation to the amount of their genetic template.
Nature/EMBO Molecular Systems Biology, 2011.
News and Views
Variable gene dosage is a major source of fluctuations in gene product levels in both endogenous and synthetic circuits. To mitigate gene expression variability, we designed, simulated, constructed, and tested a range of regulatory circuits. Feedforward regulation displayed better adaptation than negative feedback, and circuits based on RNA interference were the most robust to variation in DNA template amounts.

Linear control theory for gene network modeling.
PLoS ONE, 2010.
We show that linear control theory can provide valuable insight and practical tools for the characterization of complex biological networks. We provide the foundation for such analyses through the study of several case studies including cascade and parallel forms, feedback and feedforward loops.

Rationally designed logic integration of regulatory signals in mammalian cells.
Nature Nanotechnology, 2010.
Multiple-transcription-factor proteins are used to build complex logic circuits inside mammalian cells, offering a platform for intelligent therapeutics that interact with biological environments.

Logic integration of mRNA signals by an RNAi-based molecular computer.
Nucleic Acids Research, 2010.
We report the construction and implementation of biosensors that ‘transduce’ mRNA levels into bioactive, small interfering RNA molecules via RNA strand exchange in a cell-free Drosophila embryo lysate, a step beyond simple buffered environments.

A universal RNAi-based logic evaluator that operates in mammalian cells.
Nature Biotechnology, 25, 795-801, 2007.
We use RNA interference (RNAi) in human kidney cells to construct a molecular computing core that implements general Boolean logic to make decisions based on endogenous molecular inputs. The state of an endogenous input is encoded by the presence or absence of 'mediator' small interfering RNAs (siRNAs).

iGEM 2011

Team: Mitu Bhattatiry, Nimi Bhattatiry, Christopher Brasseaux, Jose Alfredo Flores Zaher Flores, David Golynskiy, Tyler Guinn, Sameer Sant.
For information contact Dr. Bleris.

iGEM 2010

Enlisting E. Scherichia Holmes: A modular whole-cell biosensor for the detection of environmental pollutants!
More info at iGEM website. News about iGEM

Various:

Building blocks: The growing field of synthetic biology is attracting hard-core scientists and amateurs alike.
http://www.nature.com

Synthetic life: Researchers in the US have developed the first synthetic living cell.
http://news.bbc.co.uk

Wikipedia on Synthetic Biology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_biology

Extreme Genetic Engineering: An Introduction to Synthetic Biology
http://etcgroup.org/en/node/602

Life 2.0 - Synthetic biology (The Economist)