Harvard:SysBio 204/2011

Link to updated website for SysBio204 2012

Course overview

• A course focusing on the rational design, construction, and applications of nucleic acid and protein-based synthetic molecular and cellular machinery and systems. Students are mentored to produce substantial term projects.
• Intended for graduate students in Systems Biology, Biophysics, Engineering, Biology and related disciplines. No formal prerequisites. Projects are tailored to each student's strengths and interests.
• Website: http://synthetic-biology-class.net, http://sb204.net
• Assignments: Midterm and Final Projects

Logistics

• Instructors: William Shih, Pamela Silver, Peng Yin
• Meeting time: 2 pm – 3:30 pm, Mon/Wed, Fall 2011
• Location: Room 521, Wyss Institute, 3 Blackfan circle, Boston, 02115
• First class on Wednesday August 31st.
• Location: CLSB521
• No exams
• Prerequisites: none
• Grading
  • 20% Participation
  • 40% Midterm projects
  • 40% Final project
• Harvard Course Site

Background Info and previous class projects

• http://openwetware.org/wiki/Biophysics_242r/2009 (Synthetic Biology)
• http://openwetware.org/wiki/Harvard:Biophysics_242r/2011 (Biologically Inspired Molecular Engineering)

Example topics for final design project

• miRNA pattern recognition in eukaryotic cells
• Directed evolution of chemical sensors
• Nano-breadboards for probing electron transport in proteins
• Altered genetic codes and amino acid alphabets
• Modification of proteins for function in harsh environments
• Automatable assembly of large synthetic genes and circuits
• Synthetic biology of stem cells and epigenetic reprogramming pathways
• Structural re-engineering of adenoviruses
• Artificial chemotactic swimmers
• Nonequilibrium networks of nano-machines mimicking dynamic instability in the cytoskeleton
• Recombinase-based multi-state memory in bacteria
• Exosome manufacturing
• Self-assembled solar energy harvester based on bio-inorganic nano-antennae for uv-vis
• Systematic debugging of DNA labeling chemistries by atomic-resolution TEM imaging of DNA origami
• Transcriptional activation and repression through rational molecular design
• Tissue engineering scaffold nano-materials
• Programmable multistep chemical synthesis by templating on catalytic nanostructures
• Ultra-sensitive signal processing for synthetic biology
• Antibody 2.0
• Synthetic nanostructure - virus conjugates
• Replication of information in synthetic crystals
• Cheap large-scale production of protein or DNA-based materials
• Etc. Etc. Etc.

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12 October 2026

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