Bioindustrial manufacturing readiness levels (BioMRLs) as a shared framework for measuring and communicating the maturity of bioproduct manufacturing processes.

Readiness level (RL) frameworks such as technology readiness levels and manufacturing readiness levels describe the status of a technology/manufacturing process on its journey from initial conception to commercial deployment. More importantly, they provide a roadmap to guide technology development and scale-up from a ''totality of system'' approach. Commercialization risks associated with too narrowly focused R&D efforts are mitigated.

Making Security Viral: Shifting Engineering Biology Culture and Publishing.

The ability to construct, synthesize, and edit genes and genomes at scale and with speed enables, in synergy with other tools of engineering biology, breakthrough applications with far-reaching implications for society. As SARS-CoV-2 spread around the world in early spring of 2020, researchers rapidly mobilized, using these tools in the development of diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines for COVID-19. The sharing of knowledge was crucial to making rapid progress.

Agricultural Crop Security: Exploring US Federal Readiness and Response Capabilities.

A large-scale agroterrorism attack on the United States would likely have severe economic and social consequences. In particular, the destruction of crops with pests or pathogens could cause substantial damage to food, economic, and social stability, with relatively little health risk to the perpetrators. The tools of engineering biology could enable a well-trained, nefarious actor to amplify their desired impacts through the development of disease-intensifying traits.

BioInspired, BioDriven, BioMADE: The U.S. Bioindustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem as a driver of the 4 Industrial Revolution.

When we think about the potential that biology has to offer, the U.S. Bioindustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem or BioMADE slogan could read, 'we don't make the products you buy, we make the products that you buy, with biology'.

Guiding Ethical Principles in Engineering Biology Research.

Engineering biology is being applied toward solving or mitigating some of the greatest challenges facing society. As with many other rapidly advancing technologies, the development of these powerful tools must be considered in the context of ethical uses for personal, societal, and/or environmental advancement. Researchers have a responsibility to consider the diverse outcomes that may result from the knowledge and innovation they contribute to the field.

YouTube resources for synthetic biology education.

Online video resources have increasingly become a common way to effectively share scientific research ideas and engage viewers at many levels of interest or expertise. While synthetic biology is a comparatively young field, it has accumulated online videos across a spectrum of content and technical depth. Such video content can be used to introduce viewers to synthetic biology, supplement college course content, teach new lab skills and entertain.

Author Correction: Building a global alliance of biofoundries.

The original version of this Comment contained errors in the legend of Figure 2, in which the locations of the fifteenth and sixteenth GBA members were incorrectly given as '(15) Australian Genome Foundry, Macquarie University; (16) Australian Foundry for Advanced Biomanufacturing, University of Queensland.'. The correct version replaces this with '(15) Australian Foundry for Advanced Biomanufacturing (AusFAB), University of Queensland and (16) Australian Genome Foundry, Macquarie University'.

Industrialization of Biology.

The advancement of synthetic biology over the past decade has contributed substantially to the growing bioeconomy. A recent report by the National Academies highlighted several areas of advancement that will be needed for further expansion of industrial biotechnology, including new focuses on design, feedstocks, processing, organism development, and tools for testing and measurement; more particularly, a focus on expanded chassis and end-to-end design in an effort to move beyond the use of E. coli and S.

Glycoscience: integrating a key macromolecule more fully into the curriculum.

The recent report from the National Research Council, , explores an important area of the life sciences. Glycoscience examples are suitable additions to many areas of the curriculum, and their inclusion will help ensure that students have an understanding of the diverse functions played by this key class of macromolecules.

Self-assembly of a [2]pseudorota[3]catenane in water.

A donor-acceptor [3]catenane incorporating two cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) rings linked together by a dinaphtho[50]crown-14 macrocycle possesses a π-electron-deficient pocket. Contrary to expectation, negligible binding of a hexaethylene glycol chain interrupted in its midriff by a π-electron-rich 1,5-dioxynaphthalene unit was observed in acetonitrile. However, a fortuitous solid-state superstructure of the expected 1:1 complex revealed its inability to embrace any stabilizing [C-H···O] interactions between the clearly unwelcome guest and the host reluctantly accommodating it.

Positive cooperativity in the template-directed synthesis of monodisperse macromolecules.

Two series of oligorotaxanes R and R' that contain -CH(2)NH(2)(+)CH(2)- recognition sites in their dumbbell components have been synthesized employing template-directed protocols. [24]Crown-8 rings self-assemble by a clipping strategy around each and every recognition site using equimolar amounts of 2,6-pyridinedicarboxaldehyde and tetraethyleneglycol bis(2-aminophenyl) ether to efficiently provide up to a [20]rotaxane. In the R series, the -NH(2)(+)- recognition sites are separated by trismethylene bridges, whereas in the R' series the spacers are p-phenylene linkers.

Donor-acceptor ring-in-ring complexes.

The self-assembly of three donor-acceptor ring-in-ring complexes, prepared from the π-electron-deficient tetracationic cyclophane, cyclobis(paraquat-4,4'-biphenylene), and three large π-electron-rich crown ethers (each 50-membered rings) containing dioxynaphthalene (DNP) and tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) units in pairs (DNP/DNP, DNP/TTF and TTF/TTF), is reported. (1)H NMR spectroscopic analyses are indicative of the formation of 1:1 complexes in CD(3)CN, whilst the charge-transfer interactions between the DNP and TTF units of the crown ethers and the tetracationic cyclophane have permitted the measurement of binding constants of up to 4×10(3) M(-1) in CH(3)CN to be made using UV/Vis spectroscopy. Ring-in-ring complexes are proposed as intermediates in the stepwise synthesis of molecular Borromean rings (BRs) comprised of three different rings.

Donor-acceptor molecular figures-of-eight.

The intermolecular template-directed synthesis, separation and characterisation of two constitutional isomers that are self-complexing donor-acceptor [1]rotaxanes has been achieved by click chemistry, starting from a π-electron deficient tetracationic cyclophane containing two azide functions and a π-electron rich 1,5-dioxynaphthalene-containing polyether chain terminated by propargyl groups.

Mechanically interlocked mechanophores by living-radical polymerization from rotaxane initiators.

Two [2]rotaxane initiators for single-electron-transfer living-radical-polymerization were synthesized and used for the controlled polymerization of methyl acrylate. The mechanically interlocked polymers exhibited distinct responses to mechanical activation by ultrasound. Monitoring the fate of the rotaxanes' charge transfer absorption bands provides evidence for preferential mechanical degradation of a midsection rotaxane unit as compared to a terminal rotaxane entity as a consequence of mechanical forces accumulating in the central region of the polymer chain.

Mechanically stabilized tetrathiafulvalene radical dimers.

Two donor-acceptor [3]catenanes-composed of a tetracationic molecular square, cyclobis(paraquat-4,4'-biphenylene), as the π-electron deficient ring and either two tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) and 1,5-dioxynaphthalene (DNP) containing macrocycles or two TTF-butadiyne-containing macrocycles as the π-electron rich components-have been investigated in order to study their ability to form TTF radical dimers. It has been proven that the mechanically interlocked nature of the [3]catenanes facilitates the formation of the TTF radical dimers under redox control, allowing an investigation to be performed on these intermolecular interactions in a so-called "molecular flask" under ambient conditions in considerable detail. In addition, it has also been shown that the stability of the TTF radical-cation dimers can be tuned by varying the secondary binding motifs in the [3]catenanes.

Donor-acceptor oligorotaxanes made to order.

Five donor-acceptor oligorotaxanes made up of dumbbells composed of tetraethylene glycol chains, interspersed with three and five 1,5-dioxynaphthalene units, and terminated by 2,6-diisopropylphenoxy stoppers, have been prepared by the threading of discrete numbers of cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) rings, followed by a kinetically controlled stoppering protocol that relies on click chemistry. The well-known copper(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition between azide functions placed at the ends of the polyether chains and alkyne-bearing stopper precursors was employed during the final kinetically controlled template-directed synthesis of the five oligorotaxanes, which were characterized subsequently by (1)H NMR spectroscopy at low temperature (233 K) in deuterated acetonitrile. The secondary structures, as well as the conformations, of the five oligorotaxanes were unraveled by spectroscopic comparison with the dumbbell and ring components.

A multistate switchable [3]rotacatenane.

Rotacatenanes are exotic molecular compounds that can be visualized as a unique combination of a [2]catenane and a [2]rotaxane, thereby combining both the circumrotation of the ring component (rotary motion) and the shuttling of the dumbbell component (translational motion) in one structure. Herein, we describe a strategy for the synthesis of a new switchable [3]rotacatenane and the investigation of its switching properties, which rely on the formation of tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) radical π-dimer interactions-namely, the mixed-valence state (TTF(2) )(+.) and the radical-cation dimer state (TTF(+.

Radically enhanced molecular recognition.

The tendency for viologen radical cations to dimerize has been harnessed to establish a recognition motif based on their ability to form extremely strong inclusion complexes with cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) in its diradical dicationic redox state. This previously unreported complex involving three bipyridinium cation radicals increases the versatility of host-guest chemistry, extending its practice beyond the traditional reliance on neutral and charged guests and hosts. In particular, transporting the concept of radical dimerization into the field of mechanically interlocked molecules introduces a higher level of control within molecular switches and machines.

Highly stable tetrathiafulvalene radical dimers in [3]catenanes.

Two [3]catenane 'molecular flasks' have been designed to create stabilized, redox-controlled tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) dimers, enabling their spectrophotometric and structural properties to be probed in detail. The mechanically interlocked framework of the [3]catenanes creates the ideal arrangement and ultrahigh local concentration for the encircled TTF units to form stable dimers associated with their discrete oxidation states. These dimerization events represent an affinity umpolung, wherein the inversion in electronic affinity replaces the traditional TTF-bipyridinium interaction, which is over-ridden by stabilizing mixed-valence (TTF)2•+ and radical-cation (TTF•+)2 states inside the 'molecular flasks.

Directed self-assembly of a ring-in-ring complex.

A strategic modification to the corner ligands in Pd(II)-containing, electron-poor cyclophanes has profound repercussions for their assemblies with electron-rich aromatic crown ethers in both the solid and solution states; the formation of ring-in-ring complexes can override competing [3]catenane production on masking the hydrogen bond donor capabilities of the corner ligands.

A tristable [2]pseudo[2]rotaxane.

A strategy towards increasing the lifetime of the metastable state of a [2]rotaxane incorporating tetrathiafulvalene, 1,5-dioxynaphthalene and bipyridinium (BIPY(2+)) is presented. Incorporation of BIPY(2+) served multiple roles as an electrostatic barrier to relaxation, a supramolecular recognition site for bis-1,5-dioxynaphthalene[38]crown-10 macrocycle, and upon reduction a recognition site for the mechanically bonded cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) ring.

pH-responsive mechanised nanoparticles gated by semirotaxanes.

A [2]pseudorotaxane-based mechanised nanoparticle system, which operates within an aqueous acidic environment, has been prepared and characterised; this integrated system affords both water-soluble stalk and ring components in an effort to improve the biocompatibility of these promising new drug delivery vehicles.