Engineering biology applications for environmental solutions: potential and challenges

dc.contributor.authorLea-Smith, David J.
dc.contributor.authorHassard, Francis
dc.contributor.authorCoulon, Frederic
dc.contributor.authorPartridge, Natalie
dc.contributor.authorHorsfall, Louise
dc.contributor.authorParker, Kyle D. J.
dc.contributor.authorSmith, Robert D. J.
dc.contributor.authorMcCarthy, Ronan R.
dc.contributor.authorMcKew, Boyd A.
dc.contributor.authorGutierrez, Tony
dc.contributor.authorKumar, Vinod
dc.contributor.authorDotro, Gabriella
dc.contributor.authorYang, Zhugen
dc.contributor.authorCurtis, Thomas P.
dc.contributor.authorGolyshin, Peter
dc.contributor.authorHeaven, Sonia
dc.contributor.authorJefferson, Bruce
dc.contributor.authorJeffrey, Paul
dc.contributor.authorJones, Davey L.
dc.contributor.authorLe Corre Pidou, Kristell
dc.contributor.authorLiu, Yongqiang
dc.contributor.authorLyu, Tao
dc.contributor.authorSmith, Cindy
dc.contributor.authorYakunin, Alexander
dc.contributor.authorZhang, Yue
dc.contributor.authorKrasnogor, Natalio
dc.date.accessioned2025-04-24T13:47:20Z
dc.date.available2025-04-24T13:47:20Z
dc.date.freetoread2025-04-24
dc.date.issued2025-04
dc.date.pubOnline2025-04-14
dc.description.abstractEngineering biology applies synthetic biology to address global environmental challenges like bioremediation, biosequestration, pollutant monitoring, and resource recovery. This perspective outlines innovations in engineering biology, its integration with other technologies (e.g., nanotechnology, IoT, AI), and commercial ventures leveraging these advancements. We also discuss commercialisation and scaling challenges, biosafety and biosecurity considerations including biocontainment strategies, social and political dimensions, and governance issues that must be addressed for successful real-world implementation. Finally, we highlight future perspectives and propose strategies to overcome existing hurdles, aiming to accelerate the adoption of engineering biology for environmental solutions.
dc.description.journalNameNature Communications
dc.description.sponsorshipAll authors acknowledge support from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) grant BB/Y008332/1. F.C. and T.G. acknowledges support from UKRI BBSRC grant BB/S009795/1. ZY thanks The Leverhulme Trust Research Leadership Awards RL-2022-041.
dc.identifier.citationLea-Smith DJ, Hassard F, Coulon F, et al., (2025) Engineering biology applications for environmental solutions: potential and challenges. Nature Communications, Volume 16, April 2025, Article number 3538
dc.identifier.eissn2041-1723
dc.identifier.elementsID672770
dc.identifier.issn2041-1723
dc.identifier.paperNo3538
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58492-0
dc.identifier.urihttps://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/23832
dc.identifier.volumeNo16
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSpringer Nature
dc.publisher.urihttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-58492-0
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subject46 Information and Computing Sciences
dc.subject4104 Environmental Management
dc.subject41 Environmental Sciences
dc.subjectBiotechnology
dc.subjectBioengineering
dc.subjectEBIC partners
dc.subjectApplied microbiology
dc.subjectBioremediation
dc.subjectEnvironmental biotechnology
dc.subjectGovernance
dc.subjectMolecular engineering
dc.subject.meshSynthetic Biology
dc.subject.meshNanotechnology
dc.subject.meshBiodegradation, Environmental
dc.subject.meshHumans
dc.subject.meshBioengineering
dc.subject.meshHumans
dc.subject.meshNanotechnology
dc.subject.meshBiodegradation, Environmental
dc.subject.meshBioengineering
dc.subject.meshSynthetic Biology
dc.subject.meshSynthetic Biology
dc.subject.meshNanotechnology
dc.subject.meshBiodegradation, Environmental
dc.subject.meshHumans
dc.subject.meshBioengineering
dc.titleEngineering biology applications for environmental solutions: potential and challenges
dc.typeArticle
dc.type.subtypeReview
dc.type.subtypeJournal Article
dcterms.dateAccepted2025-03-24

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