The development of biological devices that transform living cells into biosensors, nano-factories, and therapeutic agents is the objective of synthetic biology. Georgiev Lab is a university wide research laboratory interested in innovations that make such devices reliable and efficient enough to make the biological systems a generally useful technology. We apply tools from engineering and synthetic biology to 1) build electromechanical devices co-designed with biological devices, 2) derive estimation and modeling methods specifically for biological systems, and 3) develop biological control mechanisms and theory.

If you are interested in joining us in this effort or if you are just simply interested, contact Dr. Daniel Georgiev (georgiev@kky.zcu.cz).

Synthetic Biology

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Synthetic Biology wet lab.

Synthetic Biology is often misinterpreted to be a discipline encompassing the available biological (cloning, cultivation, analysis, etc.) protocols as well as the established application areas (bioproduction, adaptive therapy, etc.). While the laboratory limitations and application needs are important inputs and outputs to this area, we believe the primary and direct contribution of Synthetic biology is a systematic engineering method for developing biotechnology. Our research focuses on practical design rules and efficient tuning algorithms with the purpose of making the synthesis of regulatory and signalling devices faster and more reliable.

Bioinformatics

HLA compatibility figure.
HLA compatibility.

Compatibility of the host and donor human leukocyte antigen systems is critical to the success of a transplant. Discrepancies in HLA loci produce host immune responses that lead to graft rejection. Full donor DNA sequencing, however, is too costly and hence partial typization of important loci is carried out. Georgiev Lab in collaboration with the University Hospital in Pilsen is interested in developing computational tools for the estimation of the missing DNA data.

  • MADORA - Marrow Donor Register Analytics (MADORA) for the Czech National Register of Marrow Donors (CNRDD)
  • HANA - Haplotype analyzer (HANA) for the Czech population.


Microfluidics

Silicon master for the PDMS soft-lithography.
A soft-lithography silicon master used for fabrication of the microfluidic devices at the Georgiev Lab.

Our Microfluidics Research focuses on the study of microfluidic transport phenomena and the design of microfluidic devices with applications in synthetic biology. Current research projects include design and development of sensitive cell sorting techniques, on-chip cell culture, bio-sensors and cell-to-cell communication analysis.