Special Programs

Quantitative biology employs quantitative and logical thinking to decipher the basic principles of biological systems, with the aim of describing complex biological processes with simple quantitative relationships. The bottom-up engineering thinking of synthetic biology enables people to verify the quantitative prediction of life phenomena by reconstructing biological systems, and in turn, quantitative laws can further help people rationally design the artificial biological systems. Quantitative synthetic biology aims to promote the development of biology from qualitative, descriptive and local research to quantitative, predictable and holistic research by complementary fusion of these two fields.

The students will have the opportunity to study the courses of Biosystem Modeling, Introduction to signals and systems, microfluidics and omits technology etc. Based on the core concept of synthetic biology “Build to learn”, the students will be provided with quantitative understanding and analysis of constructed life.

Genome engineering is an interdisciplinary science that integrates methods of biology, computational science, chemistry and engineering to systematically redesign various genomes of life, or even create genomes for artificial life. These synthetic genomes provide unparalleled ways for deepened understanding of biological function, evolution and reproduction, and for precise and customized design of biological systems that will bring revolutionary solutions to the major challenges we as humans face in the critical areas of health, food; energy, and environment.

The students will have the chance to study xyz (courses). Based on the philosophy of ‘learning by doing’, the students will be provided with hands on opportunity to reprogram genomes.

Cell engineering takes the synthetic approach to study cellular systems, including cell signaling, metabolism, gene regulatory network, as well as subcellular organelles et al., for improving human health. This program provides the interdisciplinary environment and lies at the intersection of cell biology and many other disciplines (physics, chemistry, computer science, etc.). The education of cell engineering promotes students’ understanding of the general design principles of cellular processes in different levels, the cutting-edge technologies especially for automate and high throughput engineering of clinically relevant cells, and the development of cell drugs for important diseases, such as cancer.

The emphasis of the research practice enables students to gain the first-hand knowledge of the design of protein parts, gene circuits, and mathematical modeling of molecular systems in cells. This program forms the foundation of both engineering biology in the mammalian level and pharmaceutical education in the living cell level.

Microbial synthetic biology follows the “design-build-test-learn” principle to engineer microbes at the genome level as well as the ecology level. At the genome level, we aim to construct novel metabolic pathways to produce industrial chemicals and natural products, develop microbial cell factories to replace petroleum-based chemical engineering as well as the extraction or synthesis of plant-derived chemicals. At the ecology level, we combine quantitative modeling and multi-omics techniques to study the basic principles of microbial ecology. The goal is to construct synthetic microbial consortia with controllable function and stability to solve unmet needs in human health, agricultural and industrial production, environmental remediation, etc.

The students will have the chance to study “Metabolic engineering”, “Biomolecular engineering”, “Biosynthessi of natural products”, “Microbial genomics”, “Gut microbiota and precision medicine”, etc. Based on the philosophy of ‘learning by doing’, the students will be provided with hands on opportunity to engineer microbial genomes and perform bioinformatics analysis of microbiome data.

Synthetic Biosensors lies at the intersection of virology and molecular biology to understand the structure and function of viruses at the molecular level. The discipline deeply explores viral genome to capture the replication, expression, and regulation mechanism, revealing the molecular essence of viral infection and pathogen. It provides theoretical and scientific basis for the development of genetic engineering vaccines and antiviral drugs, as well as the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of virus-related diseases. Synthetic Biosensors is of great significance to clarify the essence of viral infection and to develop prevention and treatment of viral infectious diseases.

The students will have the chance to study Microbiology and other courses. Based on the philosophy of ‘learning by doing’, Synthetic Biosensors will provide important opportunity for students to understand the prevention and treatment of epidemic diseases.

Synthetic immunology is a newly emerging and highly interdisciplinary field where synthetic biology, system biology, immunology, and medicine convene. The goal of synthetic immunology is to rationally design new strategies to control the human immune response so as to better understand basic immunology and also prevent and treat human diseases through the reshaping, renormalization, and rebuilding of the immune system. As an emerging discipline, synthetic immunology presents its high-profile debut with the success of several cancer immunotherapy strategies including CAR-T cells, checkpoint inhibitors and bispecific antibodies, etc. In future, synthetic immunology will revolutionize the treatment landscape of cancer, auto-immune diseases, infectious diseases and other diseases.

The students will have the chance to study Introduction to Synthetic Biology, Immunobiology, Molecular Immunology, Medical Immunology and Synthetic Immunology. Based on the philosophy of ‘the unity of theory and practice’, the students will be provided with hands on opportunity to design and apply immunotherapies.

Synthetic organ engineering is an interdisciplinary science that integrates methods and principles of biology, engineering and physic to systematically reconstruct and emulate complex organ physiology in order to understand the operation of human living organ systems. Synthetic organ engineering provides novel models and methodology to solve the problems in biology and medicine and address the huge challenges from human health, environmental and drug development et al.

Materials Synthetic Biology emerges as a new discipline that lies at the nexus of the physical sciences, life sciences, and engineering. It uses, tools and tactics from materials science and other engineering principles to interrogate, manipulate, and generate new functions in biological systems, while at the same time employs concepts and components of biology to create new sustainable materials of fundamental interests and societal benefits. The general goal of this new subject discipline is to train the next-generation researcher so they are able to tackle challenging questions at the intersections of synthetic biology and materials science. The general science/engineering required courses include advanced mathematics, advanced algebra, physical chemistry, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, the fundamentals of materials science, and the subject core courses include genetic circuit and module design, biomaterials, materials synthetic biology, materials fabrication and processing, machine learning and deep learning.

Information synthetic biology is the study of synthetic biology related computational modeling, classical data analysis and application, big data analysis and applications, information storage. These include component (protein, DNA, RNA) rational design, genetic circuit design, metabolic pathway design, omics, deep learning and reinforcement learning of data, DNA-based information storage.

The integration of robotics, artificial intelligence and synthetic biology enables a data-driven paradigm shift for creating complex biosystems with target functions. This special program trains students in the design and implementation of automated “design-build-test-learn” cycles in engineering biology. Graduates become leaders in assembling interdisciplinary expertise in algorithms/software, hardware, and workflows to tackle real-world challenges with biological solutions.

The students will have the chance to study BioFoundry Automation, Embedded Systems, Microcomputer Principles and Interface Technology, and Principle of Instrumental Analysis. Based on the philosophy of ‘learning by doing’, the students will be provided with hands on opportunities to operate on the world-class Shenzhen Biofoundry and participate in research projects with SIAT Faculty and industrial partners.