Animal Biotechnology 

Bioremediation

Over half of all municipal solid waste is either landfilled, where it is estimated to contribute to 11% of global methane emissions, or openly dumped, where it contaminates drinking water and disrupts natural ecosystems. Pollution from industrial wastes includes a variety of persistent compounds, which have been linked to neurological defects, cancer, and species extinction.

We are using synthetic biology to equip animals with the enzymes needed to detoxify/degrade harmful pollutants and disrupt their biomagnification. Using animals for this purpose has several advantages over engineered plants and microbes which include an ability to extract and treat compounds that are contained within an organic matrix (i.e., another plant or animal), effective transgene biocontainment, and reduced environmental footprint.

Genetic Biocontrol

Mosquito species such as Aedes aegypti are vectors for a huge variety of human diseases, such as dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever viruses. The widespread use of pesticides has resulted in the emergence of resistance against all major classes of insecticides, off-target damage to beneficial insects such as pollinators, and significant concerns to human health. Non-insect pests such as cane toads and invasive fish species have caused incredible harm to native ecosystems, and continue to spread further into previously unaffected areas.

We are developing an array of novel technologies as alternatives to pesticides which can be used to rapidly, specifically, and sustainably control pest populations. 

Biomanufacturing Platforms

Municipal and organic waste streams contribute significantly to global methane emissions and are often not suitable as sources of food or fertiliser for agricultural or industrial processes. Due to contamination with microbes and toxins, as well as the complexity of their composition, waste streams often require significant upstream processing before they can be used to create something productive or beneficial.

However, some insect species such as the black soldier fly are not very picky eaters, and can be reared on these waste streams with little to no prior processing. These insects can be used as food for livestock and their waste makes for great fertiliser, but through genetic engineering these insects can be made into even more nutritious food sources, or used to produce high-value compounds such as industrial enzymes or therapeutics.

Genetic Conservation

A lot of research has been done on how we can use synthetic biology to reduce pest populations, but what about using synthetic biology to protect threatened species? Our lab has multiple projects in this space including engineering amphibians to be resistant to a deadly fungus and developing tools to rapidly introgress beneficial alleles into populations threatened by human activity.