Congratulations to fresh MRes graduates Joy Abou Chebel and Nicholas Bersée, and PhD graduate Andrey Giovanni Gomes de Oliveira from our synbio lab at Macquarie University! 🎓🧬

📷: Paige Erpf

Artificial allosteric protein switches with machine-learning-designed receptors - Nature Biotechnology Allosteric biosensors are constructed by combining reporter proteins with machine-learning-designed receptor domains.

Artificial allosteric protein switches with machine-learning-designed receptors - @arccoesb.bsky.social go.nature.com/4cshpM3

Scientists turn AI-generated proteins into smart molecular sensors An international team led by researchers at QUT has used artificial intelligence to create tiny “smart” proteins that switch on only when they detect a chosen target.

An international team led by researchers at QUT has used artificial intelligence to create tiny “smart” proteins that switch on only when they detect a chosen target.

Congratulations to Prof Kirill Alexandrov and the team!

➡️Read the story: bit.ly/48SwxkL

Dr Elena Eremeeva and Micaela Belen Sequeira from our QUT node presented their research at Aptamers 2026 and Oligo 2026 conferences in Oxford, UK.

We're incredibly proud of our researchers representing the Centre on the world stage. ✨

#AptOx26

As part of Science Meets Parliament 2026, centre members Alex Coram and Bini Zhou went on a Parliament House beekeeping tour! They tasted the honey made by the parliamentary bees, with a reusable cassette frame, and a micro honey harvester, both Australian innovations from startup Hivekeepers!

Four people standing on the white marble staircase of Parliament House

Four Centre members attended Science Meets Parliament at Parliament House in Canberra last week. Stay tuned for the full report! @scienceau.bsky.social

Great to welcome representatives from @idtdna.bsky.social to Macquarie University last week for a tour of our Centre and Australian Genome Foundry. We discussed a variety of ways to engage with synthetic biology at Macquarie. Looking forward to future collaboration. 🤝

Learn how one confronting film inspired a biotech startup to tackle a problem devastating the world’s rainforest 🌴⬇️

Download our Annual Report here: coesb.com.au/annual-repor...

Download our 2025 Annual Report

The theme Rising Stars, Real World Impact captures the Centre’s evolution from fundamental science to real-world outcomes, showcasing how our synthetic biology discoveries are providing solutions for Australia’s emerging bioeconomy.

coesb.com.au/annual-reports

Great turnout at today’s CoESB Local Startup & Industry Networking Lunch held at Macquarie University.

Supporting the local Synbio ecosystem with the opportunity for startup founders, researchers and industry leaders to meet and exchange ideas over lunch and drinks.

Thanks to all who attended!

The Ecosystem Architect Dr Selina Cao stands before a room full of synthetic biologists, social scientists and international experts at the annual conference of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology. On the scree...

'You can’t fix a forest by yelling at a single tree,' she tells the audience. 'You need to think about the whole ecology.'

How Dr Selina Cao is redesigning Australia’s approach to synthetic biology commercialisation.

➡️ Read the full annual report story here:
coesb.com.au/the-ecosyste...

Founded by Centre Associate Investigator Dr Laura Navone, navbio is a specialised biotechnology consultancy that provides expert guidance to navigate the complexities of engineering biology for the circular economy.
Get in touch at laura.navone@navbio.com.au

🔗 Learn more: navbio.com.au

@danfulvi.bsky.social from our Western Sydney University node was a guest on the panel at the STS Network Inaugural event: Why (Australian) STS Now?

The panel, which included five other scholars, discussed the role of technology, knowledge and culture in shaping contemporary societies. 💡

Synbio win for new biotech commercialisation grants - ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology Four synthetic biology companies have received support from the NSW Government’s $20 million Emerging Technologies Fund. Swan Genomics, Number 8 Bio, All G, HydGene Renewables all received funding fro...

Congratulations to SWAN Genomics, Number 8 bio, HydGene Renewables and All G on securing funding from a $4.75 million BioSciences Fund, designed to help companies bring their technologies to market. 🎉

➡️ Read our story: www.coesb.com.au/synbio-win-f...

How a moth's microbiome could hold the answer to plastic pollution When Associate Professor Amy Cain was just a young girl, her mother introduced her to the idea that her skin was covered with microbes. Some children might have been freaked out by the notion, but you...

From battling typhoid to fighting plastic pollution, Professor Amy Cain’s career has been driven by microbial mysteries.

👉 Read our Annual Report story 'How a moth's microbiome could hold the answer to plastic pollution' now: bit.ly/4rfYFou

@flamycain.bsky.social

From Balcony to Boardroom: The Newera Bio Story Picture a future where your morning routine leaves barely a trace on the planet. The colours in your wardrobe, from deep indigos to bright yellows, come from microbes, not fossil fuels. Your hair prod...

Picture a future where your morning routine leaves barely a trace on the planet. The colours in your wardrobe, from deep indigos to bright yellows, come from microbes, not fossil fuels. This isn’t a far-off dream. It’s a reality that #newerabio is building.

Read the story: bit.ly/4b9jNry

A smiling man in a suit and blue tie speaks at a podium. Text overlay promotes Eureka Prizes Entries Open

🔭 Do you have a strategic vision for science in Australia?

The USYD Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science is awarded to individuals who combine research excellence with transformational leadership. 🚀

Learn more: bit.ly/4ti63ly
#EurekaPrizes

@sydney-uni.bsky.social

Do cutting-edge research at the frontiers of AI-driven Whole Cell Modelling! We invite applications for two fully funded, 3.5-year PhD positions based with MACSYS at The Australian National University (ANU). 2026 PhD applications are now open for two exciting projects.👇
macsys.org/phd-scholars...

What problem do you hope bioengineering or synthetic biology approaches will enable us to tackle in the next decade?
doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...

Great to host a team from Sanitarium Development and Innovation department at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology and the Australian Genome Foundry at Macquarie University.

Strong conversations and shared ambition. Looking forward to what we build together.

Making a bioproduct YouTube video by ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology

Making a bioproduct with #Uluu 🪸

In our latest video, we show you how biomaterials are made out of seaweed and synthetic biology - providing a sustainable solution to plastic pollution. ♻️

youtu.be/KVO3mcDTnKI?...

Improving access to rare cannabinoids Cannabis plants produce over 100 minor cannabinoids, many of which are non-psychoactive and show therapeutic potential. However, these minor cannabinoids occur at extremely low concentrations in medic...

Researchers from our Centre have developed a new method to produce beneficial minor cannabinoids, in a collaboration between #QUT (Queensland University of Technology) and industry partner #HaleFarm.

Read the story: www.coesb.com.au/improving-ac...

Between Worlds In 2025, I spent much of my time moving between worlds: from academic conversations about synthetic biology, to policy forums and national security briefings, to on the ground exchanges with governmen...

Read how Dr Thom D. is translating synthetic biology's promise - and risks - for the people who need to govern it ⬇️ #Biotech

Engineering ancient silk from evolution to living materials Spider silk has long captured the imagination of scientists and engineers. Weight for weight, it’s stronger than steel and tougher than Kevlar. Yet despite decades of research, nobody has successfully...

Spider silk has long captured the imagination of scientists and engineers. 🕷️Weight for weight, it’s stronger than steel and tougher than Kevlar. Yet despite decades of research, nobody has successfully replicated its remarkable properties in the lab, let alone improved upon them.

Until now ⬇️

Check out Sunday Extra this week on ABC radio for my interview with Julian Morrow on De-extinction!

Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science! 👩‍🔬

Today, we celebrate the incredible contributions of women and girls in science and advocate for full and equal participation in STEM.

Some companies claim they can ‘resurrect’ species. Does that make people more comfortable with extinction? If de-extinction tech can bring back species, are people more comfortable with them going extinct? A new study tests this idea.

Some companies claim they can ‘resurrect’ species. Does that make people more comfortable with extinction? 🤔

Researchers from our ethics node at Macquarie University answer this question and more in a new study.

Read about it in the @aunz.theconversation.com ⬇️
bit.ly/4kgUqHm #Ethics

From Trash to Treasure Most people recoil at maggots. But the team behind a Sydney start-up company see them as tiny environmental powerhouses capable of cleaning up the planet’s dirtiest problems.

At #EntoZyme, a biotech spin-out from #MacquarieUniversity, black soldier flies (Hermetic illucens) are being genetically engineered to chew through waste streams that stump even the most advanced recycling systems.

👉 Read the full story now: coesb.com.au/from-trash-t...

#BioTech

What is Precision Fermentation? YouTube video by ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology

@weforum.org recently named Precision Fermentation as one of 10 Emerging Technology Solutions for Planetary Health. Learn why by watching our animated explainer! 👀

youtu.be/A5kgo8oxulo?...

Congratulations to Dr Elena Eremeeva of QUT node on her grant success:

1. AEA Ignite Grant - to develop portable, rapid diagnostic sensors to detect smoke taint markers in wine grapes.

2. 2026 Thomas Davies Research Grant - to develop sensors for the environmental monitoring and clean-up of PFAS.