Abstract
One of the aims of synthetic biology is to apply engineering tools and design principles to the construction and refactoring of biological systems. Our current tools (e.g. plasmids), although successful, are relics of multiple trial-and-error designs dating from the 1980s – not robust, not suitable for industrial applications. The project is to combine rational design, mathematical modelling and directed evolution to develop novel plasmids with increased compatibility and stability, robust regulation and selectable without the use of antibiotics.
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