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Biography |
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Walid El-Sharoud is a professor at Mansoura University, whose current research interests focus on synthetic biology. During his PhD study at the University of Reading (UK), Walid examined the role of ribosome-associated proteins in the protection of bacteria under stress. This work directed his interest into the precision and high efficiency of natural molecular machines including the ribosome, which intersected with the emergence of the striking field of synthetic biology. Walid currently attempts to exploit the tools of synthetic biology for the creation of bio-inspired nano-machines. He has published his work in relevant peer-reviewed journals, edited a textbook and acts as the biology editor of the long-standing British journal Science Progress. Walid was the recipient of the TWAS-ARO prize for the best young Arab scientist in biology and new life sciences in 2009.
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Abstract |
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Synthetic Biology: To Re-design or Improve Life? |
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Synthetic biology is an exciting emerging science that applies engineering and computing principles to biology. Pioneered by engineers, synthetic biology treats biological systems as functional machines to be assembled from well-characterized parts using standard manufacturing processes as to operate precisely and predictably. This science has now transformed from just blue sky hypotheses into useful applications and a global market of more than $2.7 billion. Applications involve creating new viruses and bacteria to attack and destroy cancer cells, photosynthetic systems to produce energy, biosensors for detecting chemical and biological hazards, etc. Still, there are lots of concerns on synthetic biology allowing the creation of new cells, and probably never-existent creatures. This talk addresses the scope and premises of synthetic biology demonstrating its tools, applications, and relevance to basic knowledge. It also discusses the societal and ethical challenges facing this rapidly growing science. |
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