Diagrams showing structure and function in biological organism engineering

We've just had official publication of another major step forward in turning synthetic biology into a well-organized field of engineering: the SBOL Visual 2.0 standard. This is a big one, because it means we have a clear way not only of summarizing genetic structure (as we have had since SBOL Visual 1.0), but also of showing the interactions of genes with proteins and other molecules in order to actually affect cellular functions.

Example of an SBOL Visual 2.0 diagram, showing a system with two functional units: one producing the regulatory protein TetR, which in turn represses the other's production of green fluorescent protein (GFP).

Everybody's been drawing diagram sort of like this already, in the papers that they publish, but there hasn't been any agreement on how to do so, and so every diagram's a little (or a lot) different, with no good way to make sure that you really know what somebody's diagram means besides reading the whole text in detail---and sometimes not even then. Now, with this standard, we have such a system, and we just need to work with folks to keep spreading the word so that people are aware and can understand how following the suggested guidelines will help them by making it easier for others to read what they have written.

Good Measurement Practices

As we work to promote awareness and use of good scientific measurement practices in iGEM (the International Genetically Engineered Machines competition), we've just posted an educational video with me giving a (hopefully accessible) introduction to four simple principles of good measurement practices.

Good Measurement Practices from iGEM Headquarters on Vimeo.