Encoded synthesis, replication and evolution of unnatural nucleic acid therapeutics (SYNAPTA)
Scientific Goal:
Information storage and propagation in biological systems is based on just two types of nucleic acids, DNA and RNA. We are building an artificial genetic system based on a third type of genetic material (3NA) using orthogonal nucleic acid chemistry and evolved polymerases for the templated synthesis, replication and evolution of novel, sequence-defined nucleic acid polymers. Such a system will conclusively address questions such as the capacity of nucleic acid polymers other than DNA and RNA for information storage, heredity and evolution. Its application to the synthesis and evolution of nucleic acid therapeutics promises to address some of the systemic constraints inherent in DNA and RNA chemistry.
Project Leader:
Dr Philip Holliger, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Principal Investigators:
Professor Piet Herdewijn, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium
Professor Michael Famulok, University of Bonn, Germany
Associated Partner:
Dr Valérie Pezo, Genoscope, Evry, France
