How the Design-Build-Test-Learn Cycle Fuels Innovation in Engineering Biology

How the Design-Build-Test-Learn Cycle Fuels Innovation in Engineering Biology

Innovative technologies based on biological systems need to undergo thorough testing before a product or process is ready for scale up and commercialisation. That’s where a project framework like design-build-test-learn comes in.

Engineering biology harnesses the power of biological systems for biomanufacturing and processing to take innovative concepts from design to scaled-up commercial products. But how do you navigate the challenges to unlock its full potential?  

The answer lies in a project framework known as the Design-Build-Test-Learn (DBTL) cycle, which has long worked well in engineering, product manufacturing, project management and software development. Using DBTL for engineering biology projects offers a roadmap to success. 

A recipe for innovation 

What is DBTL? You can think of it as a scientific recipe for continuous iterative improvement; where the insights gained during each phase of repeated DBTL cycles are applied to make a better product or process. 

It starts with Design: you define your desired outcome and strategise the components, features, functions and plan what you need to achieve it.  

Next comes Build, where you bring your design to life – constructing the product prototype or models out of the materials identified and to the specifications decided upon during design. 

The Test phase involves assessing the performance of your product or process, evaluating its efficiency, reliability and the user experience. This part of the cycle should not only show what has been successful but also identify any potential roadblocks or other issues. 

Finally, Learn is where you analyse the results, gather feedback and refine your design based on what you've observed.  

From here you apply those learnings to go through the cycle again. The end goal is to build a product or process faster and robust enough to be scaled up for commercialisation. 

DBTL in engineering biology 

The beauty of DBTL is its adaptability. This inherent flexibility is why, regardless of the specific field, DBTL continues to be an indispensable tool for innovation. The complex and dynamic nature of biological systems makes it particularly valuable in engineering biology.  

The cyclical DBTL process is crucial in engineering biology applications like biomanufacturing of a range of potential products for the discovery and optimisation of biosynthetic pathways. In this case, we are looking at how we can adapt biological systems to make a novel product like a protein. DBTL helps us understand whether we can make the process or the product better.  

CPI offers a comprehensive, one-stop, continuous chain of engineering biology capabilities that can empower your project and the DBTL process: 

  • Design: Access our expertise and advanced modelling and simulation tools to optimise your biological designs before venturing into the lab. This could involve designing metabolic pathways and novel strain understanding. 
  • Build: Harness our expertise in microbial strain development and fermentation process optimisation to build your biological solution, in living cells like yeast or bacteria, effectively. 
  • Test: Use our state-of-the-art bioprocess and analytical facilities to assess your system's performance and gather valuable data. 
  • Learn: Collaborate with CPI's team of scientists and engineers to generate and analyse your data, refine your designs, and accelerate innovation. 

This process was invaluable for Deep Branch, a creator of sustainable, high-value food and feed ingredients. They used our facilities for microbial cell growth and gas fermentation, to further develop their CO2-to-protein technology for alternative proteins. In doing so we were able to reduce the cost of design optimisation, improve downstream processing, and lower the capital expenditure for their core fermentation process. These savings can be passed on to feed producers who switch to Deep Branch’s product. 

Cultivated meat is another form of alternative protein: real animal meat made from cultivating animal cells in a lab. Its production requires the use of growth media - liquids that contain the right nutrients for the meat cells to grow. Components of this often come from animal extracts, but 3D Bio-Tissues, a biotech startup, has developed a novel and ethical alternative. We designed, developed and optimised a high-throughput screening system to test the applicability of different biomolecules that could be used as growth media. This approach rapidly identified suitable media that could increase meat yields, reducing the time it normally would take to create a product suitable for the market. 

The future of engineering biology 

Engineering biology is brimming with exciting possibilities. That future was given a huge boost when the UK government outlined a national vision for engineering biology, supported by £2 billion in funding. With sustained funding, the UK can cement its position as a global leader in the field. 

And there is even more power on the horizon to expand the DBTL capabilities for engineering biology. A lot of the design, modelling and initial theoretical testing can already be done by experimentation using computers, also known as “in silico”, experiments.  

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are expected to accelerate design optimisation and predict biological behaviour with greater accuracy. Digital twins – virtual representations of biological systems – can enable further testing and refinement in a simulated environment. We can also “read” and “write” DNA faster and more cost-effectively than ever before. 

These advances are already unlocking more groundbreaking discoveries. AI deep learning has been used to identify new antibiotics that could tackle drug-resistant bacteria. 

Engineering biology is helping build a healthier, more sustainable future. Read my new blog to find out more about engineering biology and CPI’s capabilities across the UK government’s national vision priority areas:



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