


Our Team

The Foundry core facility is located in the Broad Institute and is closely embedded with their platforms in DNA sequencing, transcriptomics/proteomics, and chemical screening. It is partnership between the Synthetic Biology Center at MIT (Christopher Voigt, Co-Director) and the Broad Technology Labs (Rob Nicol, Director). Dr. Nicol is responsible for establishing DNA sequencing as a manufacturing discipline and now the sequencing platform can process 4.3 trillion bp/day. Ben Gordon is the Foundry Director.
Three teams are implementing the pipeline at the core facility:
Design Team
- Bioinformatics to harness genome databases
- Rapid optimization of multi-gene designs
- De novo pathway design for non-natural chemicals and materials
- Control of timing and conditions for gene activation
- Genetic part design for diverse organisms
- Genome-scale computer aided design (CAD)
- Actionable design from integrated –omics and screening data
Build Team
- Low-cost multiplex DNA construction
- Novel chemistries for DNA assembly
- Miniaturization and automation
- Integration of construction and sequencing technologies
- Implementation of manufacturing best practices
- LIMS software and bug/QC tracking
Cellular Analytics Team
- Simultaneous proteomic/transcriptomic measurements
- Emulsions systems and single cell –omics
- Extraction of genetic part performance from –omics data
- Data integration and extraction of actionable design rules
- Rapid prototyping of designs pre-transformation.