Staff Services Student Enterprise

Engineering Biology and Advanced Therapeutics Innovation Engine

Partner with leading experts in engineering biology and advanced therapeutics

The University of Edinburgh is home to one of the largest communities of Mammalian Engineering Biology research, including the world-leading Centre for Regenerative Medicine.

Key Capability

Rapid design-build-test-learn engineering biology cycle


Engineering Biology tools and technologies to drive novel advanced therapeutics

Drug discovery and development

  • Biosensors with multiple readouts
  • Drug-controllable transcription factors
  • Engineered synthetic stem cell niches
  • Self-assembling cell systems
  • Human Artificial Chromosomes


Cell and Gene Therapy/Regenerative Medicine

  • Controllable gene expression (amount, time and place)
  • Tuneable stem cells using multiple transcription factors
  • Engineered cells for cell replacement (Parkinson’s)
  • Gene therapy viral vectors
  • Theranostics (cells with dual diagnostic/therapeutics modalities)


Biomanufacturing

  • Safe harbour landing pads for stable plasmid insertion
  • Synthetic transcription factors, chromatin modification and promoters
  • CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing systems
  • State-of-the-art high-throughput clonal cell selection capability


Advanced therapeutics strategic priorities span key disease areas

  • Cardiovascular
  • Eye
  • Liver
  • Lung
  • Neurodegenerative disorders
  • Neurodevelopmental disorders
  • Oncology
  • Renal
Infographic of key platforms and disease focus areas for Edinburgh Advanced Therapeutics

Key Facilities

Genome Foundry

Edinburgh Genome Foundry

  • The most advanced fully automated biofoundry worldwide
  • High throughput modular assembly of DNA constructs to equip cells with new or improved functions
  • Huge capacity to build genetic constructs (1000s a week)
  • Combined with Berkeley Lights Beacon optofluidic system (the only one in an academic setting in Europe) provides high throughput analysis and phenotyping
EdinOmics

Edinomics

  • Provides global metabolome and proteome analyses
  • End-to-end expertise from experimental design to data analysis
  • Unique offering of simultaneous metabolite, protein, and lipid extraction to assess multiple molecular classes from one sample
  • Rapid metabolomics offering

Edinburgh Genomics

  • Provides advanced genomic services using the latest technologies
  • End-to-end support from extracted nucleic acids to data analysis
  • Bioinformatics expertise to ensure high-quality sequencing data generation

Download our facilities brochure

Discover the University of Edinburgh's expert Genotype to Phenotype facilities. Our technical experts will help your team make new discoveries and translational developments from genotype to phenotype. Our specialist support will guide you through the journey every step of the way.

Accelerate your innovation ambitions

Dr Lorraine Kerr

Director of Strategic Partnerships North America

Academic Champions:

Photo of Professor Susan Rosser
Professor Susan Rosser


Professor of Engineering Biology and Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies. Director of the UK Centre for Mammalian Synthetic Biology and Co-director of the Edinburgh Genome Foundry. Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.

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Photo of Professor Andrew Baker
Professor Andrew Baker


British Heart Foundation Professor of Translational Cardiovascular Sciences, Gustav Born Chair of Vascular Biology and Head of the Centre for Cardiovascular Science. Scientific Advisor to Northern Alliance Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre, Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

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Photo of Professor Steve Pollard
Professor Steve Pollard


Professor of Stem Cell and Cancer Biology and Group Leader, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre.

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