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The intersection of AI and engineering biology offers a unique opportunity to address pressing societal issues, but also poses a potential threat to global biosecurity. Is AI lowering barriers to biological weapons development? What are the risks and how likely are they to emerge? Can AI be used as a tool to aid biosecurity as well as threaten it? Researchers from the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk discuss.

What is synthetic data, why is it being used in biomedical research and how can it be used to advance scientific discovery in a responsible way? A recent article by Cambridge researchers urges policy-makers to consider how synthetic data should be regulated.

AI is helping design the next generation of therapeutics. Hear from Royal Society University Research Fellow Dr. Pietro Sormanni about how his lab is using AI and machine learning techniques to improve antibody design for medicine and diagnostics.

Our bodies, and all living things, are made up of cells. These tiny natural machines can do amazing things - they can make new molecules, sense the world around them and even transform energy into useful fuels! Scientists at the University of Cambridge study cells to understand how they work. They can also engineer cells to do new and useful things. Find out how Cambridge researchers are engineering cells for a better future.

Hear from postdocs Deepshikha Acharya and Liam Collins-Jones about Pub and Papers, a monthly journal club exploring recent papers in the field of non-invasive neuroimaging.

Dr Richard Milne, Head of Research and Dialogue at Wellcome Connecting Science, shares with us his thoughts on engineering biology and the importance of engaging the public in meaningful conversations, undertaking two-way dialogues and building trust in technology.

The end of 2024 and beginning of 2025 have seen a flurry of reports, surveys, recommendations and articles about the potential of Engineering Biology to impact UK society and economy. So what does it all mean? And what might 2025 have in store for the UK engineering biology community?

Want to share the possibilities of cell-free biology or inspire the next generation of cell scientists? We’re looking for volunteers to help deliver two exciting events at the year’s Cambridge Festival.

Learn about pioneering research at the University of Cambridge, where researchers are applying engineering biology approaches to address the intertwined climate and nature crises. Explore the newly published University of Cambridge Climate Impact Map to find out more about these exciting projects.

The sustainable transformation of the chemical and pharmaceutical industry requires greener manufacturing. The use of enzymes as catalysts offers a promising route to less waste generation and lower energy consumption. However, such biocatalysts often require challenging engineering, where the combination of droplet microfluidics, deep sequencing and AI can make a difference.