Concentration: Computational & Synthetic Biology

Synthetic and computational biologists aim to design and build novel biological functions and systems by applying engineering design principles and computational tools to biology. This includes genome editing, modeling, and analysis of large sets of genomic data.
Real-World Applications
Drug discovery, green manufacturing, agriculture, customized materials, personalized medicine, bioethics.
News About: Computational & Synthetic Biology
Lareau named MTI Innovator
Professor Liana Lareau is recognized for her revolutionary approach to treat retinitis pigmentosa and other dominant genetic diseases by combining CRISPR prime editing with machine learning.
Indigenous knowledge helps biotech find new drugs. This grad student wants those companies to give back.
Bioengineering doctoral student Maria Astolfi and her colleagues argue for a new type of partnership with indigenous peoples to create a more ethical bioeconomy.
The not-so-secret life of gut bacteria
Computational modeling from Mofrad Lab gives us a peek inside these important microbial communities.
Pivot Bio is using microbial nitrogen to make agriculture more sustainable
Co-founded by BioE alumnus Karsten Temme, Pivot is bringing cleaner nitrogen to American farmland.
AI can now model and design the genetic code for all domains of life with Evo 2
Research led by Professor Patrick Hsu has produced Evo 2, the largest AI model in biology to date, which can accurately predict the effects of all types of genetic mutations.
Bridge RNAs: ‘Holy Grail’ in Next-Gen Gene Editing Tech?
Patrick Hsu’s breakthrough discovery of bridge RNA gene editing tools is discussed on WebMD, with contributions from BioE alumnus Connor Tou.
Arkin Lab receives ARPA-H award for microbiome engineering
Adam Arkin has been granted an award of over $20 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to pursue microbiome engineering to create probiotic bacterial communities that prevent and treat lung pathogens.
Could a new medical approach fix faulty genes before birth?
Murthy lab and UC Davis have developed a unique mRNA delivery method for in-utero gene editing for neurodevelopmental conditions.
Thermostable Cas9 Enhances RNP Performance in Lung and Liver
Niren Murthy et al. have developed a more stable version of the Cas9 enzyme to improve delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) for in vivo gene editing.
Faculty Focus on Leah Guthrie
Professor Leah Guthrie works to understand how the microbiome metabolites and proteins communicate with our human cells to influence our physiology and pathophysiology. Learn more about Guthrie in this interview with QB3.