Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced that Dr. Chenli Liu has been selected to receive an Agilent Thought Leader Award. The award will support his pioneering studies on synthetic biology, specifically research to develop a synthetic cell capable of reproducing by coordinating individual cell properties utilizing a bottom-up approach to understand biological circuits.
Dr. Liu is the vice president of the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT), Chinese Academy of Sciences in China. He is also the founder of iSynBio at SIAT, the largest research institute focused on synthetic biology, as well as the chief scientist of Shenzhen Infrastructure for Synthetic Biology.
Dr. Liu’s lab at iSynBio is dedicated to the research of quantitative synthetic biology. Based on the research idea of "quantitative analysis and synthetic reconstruction", it focuses on the basic principles of the formation process of complex biological systems, as well as the rational design principles of synthetic biological systems and other important scientific issues.
Led by Dr. Liu, the Shenzhen synthetic biology research team has been adhering to the frontier of world science and technology and the country's major needs. They actively play a role in major original innovations, original technology sources, and key core technology breakthroughs while promoting the technical level in the field of synthetic biology and the continuous development of innovative capabilities. Dr. Liu and his team focus on addressing the shortcomings of basic research in synthetic biology, overcoming the inherent challenges in the R&D process, and constantly improving the innovative ecological process of “basic research + technological breakthroughs + industrialization of achievements + science and technology finance”.[1]
“I feel privileged to receive this Agilent Thought Leader Award. Synthetic biology is one of the world’s cutting-edge interdisciplinary fields of science and technology. A series of disruptive technologies generated by this field will most likely lead to a technological revolution in biomedicine, food, and sustainable development in the future,” said Dr. Liu. “We will continue to explore and strive to build Shenzhen into a global highland of synthetic biology technologies. I am confident that with Agilent’s support and its world-leading testing and analysis technologies and solutions, our studies in synthetic biology, one of the most cutting-edge fields in life science, will soon bear fruit that will provide great benefits.”
“Synthetic biology is a promising research field, and its scientific findings bring prominent value to all people,” said Ting Yang, Agilent vice president, and general manager of the Greater China Commercial Organization. “Agilent is proud to support Dr. Liu with a complete solution that comprises Agilent’s full product portfolio, be it genetic research solutions, cell analysis solutions, chromatography and mass spectrometry solutions, and more, to facilitate his research goal of shaping an innovative eco-system of the synthetic biology study in China.”
“The rapid development of synthetic biology has led to the third biotechnological revolution since the discovery of the helical structure of DNA, and this revolutionary technology is poised to make a profound impact on how products are more sustainably manufactured,” said Darlene Solomon, Agilent senior vice president and chief technology officer. “Agilent has focused on the field of synthetic biology for many years, and supporting leading researchers like Dr. Liu underscores our commitment to accelerating the development of this important field.”
The Agilent Thought Leader Award program promotes fundamental scientific advances by contributing financial support, products, and expertise to the research of influential thought leaders in the life sciences, diagnostics, and chemical analysis space. To learn more, visit the Agilent Thought Leader Award website.