About this Research Topic

Background

Meeting the challenge of feeding a growing global population sustainably amidst increasing extreme weather events requires innovative solutions. Systems Biology and Synthetic Biology offer a promising avenue to revolutionize agriculture. By engineering biological systems, we can enhance crop resilience, nutrient uptake, and yield under adverse conditions. Additionally, Systems Biology and Synthetic Biology enable precise manufacturing of valuable molecules and high-value compounds, while also facilitating micro-scale production processes that minimize waste. Responsible biotechnological interventions can further reduce food waste and synthesize essential nutrients without harming the environment. Integrating both Systems Biology and Synthetic biology into agriculture holds the potential to create a sustainable food system that meets the world's nutritional needs while preserving our planet for future generations.

Our objective is to spotlight the multifaceted applications of Systems Biology and Synthetic Biology as potent tools for advanced agriculture and food systems. This includes, but is not limited to:

Food & Nutrition: from detecting food spoilage and addressing nutritional deficiencies to fostering sustainable aquaculture and developing non-animal protein sources, we’re looking for research that spans a wide array of critical challenges.

Biomanufacturing in Agriculture: we also explore innovations in food packaging and storage, micro-scale manufacturing, fabric production, and tissue engineering, including the regeneration of new skin and organs. Our focus extends to fragrance production, clean dyes, pigments, and sustainable mining practices.

Agriculture: we delve into the development of biological fertilizers, microbial nitrogen fixation, and strategies for enhancing crop yields, stress tolerance, disease and pest resistance, while preserving soil health. We aim to showcase the transformative potential of Systems Biology and Synthetic Biology across diverse sectors, driving sustainable solutions for a better future.

Exemplary (iGEM) Projects:
2023 iGEM Kyoto (Japan) was nominated for the Best Agriculture Project award for proposing a new solution that prevents crop damage by utilizing an engineered E. coli for sustained production and release of repellent molecules.

2023 iGEM Tec-Chihuahua (Mexico) was nominated for the Best Food & Nutrition Project award for pioneering non-antibiotic treatment for bovine mastitis, an inflammatory udder infection caused by gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, impacting milk production, causing wastage and rising prices.

2023 iGEM Leiden (The Netherlands) was nominated for the Best Biomanufacturing Project award for working on Methylorubrum extorquens, a non-model organism that can grow on green methanol to sustainably produce biodegradable plastic, a solution that promises to transform agriculture.

Learn more about iGEM Projects .

Scope:
This Research Topic encourages submissions from the iGEM community and researchers around the globe who work in areas intersecting Systems Biology, Synthetic Biology and advanced agriculture and food systems. Investigators who pioneer the development of potent tools integrating these fields with a focus on sustainable food systems are particularly encouraged to submit their research. We invite researchers to share their findings in the form of original research, reviews, perspectives, technology and code, or novel methods and/or their novel applications.

Please note manuscripts that are purely synthetic without a systems approach (i.e. at multiple levels/scales/time points or using multiple methods such as multi-omics) will be considered in our newly launched Frontiers in Synthetic Biology. Please see our 2023 iGEM collection for an idea of systems level papers.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Synthetic Biology, Systems Biology, Agriculture, Food, Nutrition, Biomanufacturing, iGEM

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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