Browsing by Subject "Programming cells"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6

Open Access
Biological devices for cellular targeting and decision-making
(De Gruyter, 2024-11-18) Yavuz, Merve; Hınçer, Ahmet; Semerci, Aslı; Şeker, Urartu Özgür Şafak; Şeker, Urartu Özgür Şafak
The engineered biological systems offer new avenues for precision medicine and therapeutic interventions. The development of biological devices for cellular targeting and decision-making executes synthetic biology tools to integrate computational logic and sensing capabilities in living cells. The machineries have the ability to detect specific biomarkers, process environmental signals, and perform targeted responses. In order to specifically recognize and destroy cancer cells, one of the crucial advancements resides in the design of chimeric antigen receptor T cells. The cells harbor synthetic genetic circuitries to sense external stimuli, the presence of a pathogen or a disease marker, and to give a cellular response. The biological devices are designed as robust and adaptive based on synthetic biology applications by leveraging modular and programmable genetic components. The efficacy and safety of cellular therapies are enhanced via precise cellular targeting and dynamic decision-making that provide promising approaches for diagnosing and treating a wide range of diseases and personalized medicine. © 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.
Open Access
Engineering mammalian cell for cancer
(De Gruyter, 2024-11-18) Karaca, Melis; Şen, Senem; Fuerkaiti, Fayiti; Şeker, Urartu Özgür Şafak; Şeker, Urartu Özgür Şafak
The accuracy of products produced by mammalian cells can be explained by the fact that continuously stored environmental information leads to high-precision production capacity. Therefore, usage of mammalian cells in cancer might lead to progression of safe and efficient therapies. Synthetic biology has emerged as a transformative force in biomedical innovation, which aims to reprogram cells for precise diagnostics and therapeutics. Recent advances highlight the development of modular synthetic receptors, enabling customizable disease recognition and engineered mammalian cells exhibiting remarkable sensitivity and selectivity. Simultaneously, advances in mammalian synthetic biology facilitate the deliberate engineering of protein secretion, glycosylation, cellular metabolism, and cellular communication, unlocking new therapeutic possibilities that even lead to the construction of artificial tissues for innovative cancer therapies. This chapter focuses on the current techniques of mammalian cell engineering for cancer therapeutics including their drawbacks and future. © 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.
Open Access
Engineering microbial cells for cancer
(De Gruyter, 2024-11-18) Akboğa, Doğuş; Doğruer, Aslı; Albayrak, Damla; Shahid, Gozeel Binte; Şeker, Urartu Özgür Şafak; Şeker, Urartu Özgür Şafak
The use of engineered microbes in personalized cancer treatment is promising, offering targeted and patient-specific therapeutic strategies. Advances in synthetic biology enable precise genetic modifications, creating bacteria capable of producing therapeutic agents within tumors. This chapter discusses the field of engineering microbial cells for cancer therapy, initially focusing on the dynamic interactions between the microbiome and the host and the pivotal role of the gut microbiome in cancer development. Then, discussing that certain bacteria influence cancer progression and therapeutic responses through immunomodulation and metabolic interactions, how engineered bacteria can present novel opportunities for intervention will be explored. The principles of bacterial cancer therapies will be examined, including selecting suitable bacterial strains and engineering methods to ensure their safety and efficacy. Techniques such as attenuating virulence factors, enhancing tumor-targeting capabilities, and designing sophisticated genetic circuits for controlled therapeutic delivery are detailed. © 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.
Open Access
New generation cellular engineering for living therapeutics
(De Gruyter, 2024-11-18) Tunç, Nazlıcan; Bakar, Mehmet Emin; Çalışkan, Burak; Ölmez, Tolga Tarkan; Şeker, Urartu Özgür Şafak; Şeker, Urartu Özgür Şafak
This chapter explores the progress and possibilities of cutting-edge cellular engineering for therapeutic purposes. This statement underscores the fundamental change in medical treatments, moving away from conventional medicines toward living therapeutic systems. It emphasizes the significance of synthetic biology in developing self-replicating systems that have the ability to independently diagnose, treat, and cure diseases. The study focuses on several important topics, including the development of genetic circuits for medical purposes, the use of the human microbiome as a therapeutic platform and its impact on health and disease, the promise of microbiome engineering, and novel approaches for delivering drugs and treating diseases. The chapter also explores the use of biomaterials such as biofilms and biomineralization in treatments, as well as the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration in the development of therapeutic approaches. The incorporation of these advanced technology offers potential solutions for unfulfilled medical requirements and revolutionizes treatment strategies for a range of illnesses. © 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.
Open Access
Programming cells with synthetic biology
(De Gruyter, 2024-11-18) Ahan, Recep Erdem; Akman, Derin; Avcı, Ece; Şeker, Urartu Özgür Şafak; Şeker, Urartu Özgür Şafak
Biological systems are the most advanced molecular machines known to humans. Cells can execute intricate actions via proteins encoded in their genomes. Their immense capabilities are rooted in the billions of years of evolution wherein organisms and biological molecules have been diversified by natural selection to adapt to continuously changing ecological conditions in order to ensure survival. Evolution has yielded many useful functions of biological systems that can be exploited for human use. However, wildtype cells and biological molecules are suboptimal for specific applications because their capabilities are shaped and dictated for survival, not for the requirements of any human application. Synthetic biology approaches offer to augment the inherent competence of cells through genetic reprogramming, wherein cells are considered a collection of biomolecular modules composed of biological parts. Based on this approach, novel molecular abilities can be constructed by reusing biological parts to build synthetic genetic modules implemented in cellular hosts. In this chapter, reprogramming cells by building synthetic genetic modules will be summarized. In the first section, molecular methodologies, including de novo DNA synthesis, cloning, and genome engineering, will be briefly mentioned. Then, genetic modules for signal sensing and signal processing will be explained. © 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.
Open Access
Synthetic biology for therapeutics: engineering cells for living drugs
(De Gruyter, 2024-11-18) Şeker, Urartu Özgür Şafak; Şeker, Urartu Özgür Şafak