Systems and synthetic biology: constructing smart and programmable microbes and microbiota to address global problems
The past decade has witnessed the tremendous power of systems and synthetic biology in the creation of genetic parts, devices, and systems, which helps understand complex biological systems. However, its potential for real-world applications has not been fully exploited. One of its promising applications is the construction of programmable cells that integrate multiple environmental signals and implement synthetic control over biological processes. My research interests are focused on developing microbes and microbiota that can process multiple input signals and generate user-defined outputs. Specifically, I aim to build genetic programs to control various bacterial processes such as gene expression, chemical reactions, and evolution. I will present published and unpublished results of my selected research projects by discussing the potential and challenges of systems and synthetic biology to address global problems, including plastic and agricultural waste issues, non-invasive diagnostics and disease treatment using smart probiotics and microbiota engineering, sustainable bioproduction, and biocontainment of genetically engineered microbes.
This work is supported by U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Office of Naval Research, U. S. Department of Agriculture, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Air Force Research Laboratory, AIChE, Joint Genome Institute, and Gates Foundation.
Short bio
Tae Seok Moon is a YouTuber, director of an NSF global center, professor at JCVI, EBRC Council Member, SynBYSS Chair, Moonshot Bio founder, EFB Executive Board Member, and editor of 10 journals, including the New Biotechnology Editor-in-Chief. His 34 funded projects have secured $45.8M since 2012 and resulted in 116 publications, 282 invited talks, 225 contributed presentations, and 12 patents (as of 9/3/2026). His service to SynBYSS provides a weekly forum for >3,000 global audiences. The 598 speakers include a Nobel Laureate, 33 National Academy Members, 51 funders, 25 Editors-in-chief, 21 Cell/Nature/Science journal editors, and 286 rising stars.
Laboratory of the speaker
Moon lab
Invited by
Young-Kyoung Park, Manish Kushwaha, Olivier Borkowski
