Abstraction hierarchy to define biofoundry workflows and operations for interoperable synthetic biology research and applications

Abstract Lack of standardization in biofoundries limits the scalability and efficiency of synthetic biology research. Here, we propose an abstraction hierarchy that organizes biofoundry activities into four interoperable levels: Project, Service/Capability, Workflow, and Unit Operation, effectively...

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Main Authors: Haseong Kim, Nathan J. Hillson, Byung-Kwan Cho, Bong Hyun Sung, Dae-Hee Lee, Dong-Myung Kim, Min-Kyu Oh, Matthew Wook Chang, Yong-Su Jin, Susan J. Rosser, Peter Vegh, Rennos Fragkoudis, Rosalind Le Feuvre, Nigel S. Scrutton, Marko Storch, Wonjae Seong, Paul S. Freemont, Seung-Goo Lee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61263-6
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author Haseong Kim
Nathan J. Hillson
Byung-Kwan Cho
Bong Hyun Sung
Dae-Hee Lee
Dong-Myung Kim
Min-Kyu Oh
Matthew Wook Chang
Yong-Su Jin
Susan J. Rosser
Peter Vegh
Rennos Fragkoudis
Rosalind Le Feuvre
Nigel S. Scrutton
Marko Storch
Wonjae Seong
Paul S. Freemont
Seung-Goo Lee
author_facet Haseong Kim
Nathan J. Hillson
Byung-Kwan Cho
Bong Hyun Sung
Dae-Hee Lee
Dong-Myung Kim
Min-Kyu Oh
Matthew Wook Chang
Yong-Su Jin
Susan J. Rosser
Peter Vegh
Rennos Fragkoudis
Rosalind Le Feuvre
Nigel S. Scrutton
Marko Storch
Wonjae Seong
Paul S. Freemont
Seung-Goo Lee
author_sort Haseong Kim
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Lack of standardization in biofoundries limits the scalability and efficiency of synthetic biology research. Here, we propose an abstraction hierarchy that organizes biofoundry activities into four interoperable levels: Project, Service/Capability, Workflow, and Unit Operation, effectively streamlining the Design‑Build‑Test‑Learn (DBTL) cycle. This framework enables more modular, flexible, and automated experimental workflows. It improves communication between researchers and systems, supports reproducibility, and facilitates better integration of software tools and artificial intelligence. Our approach lays the foundation for a globally interoperable biofoundry network, advancing collaborative synthetic biology and accelerating innovation in response to scientific and societal challenges.
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spelling doaj-art-44dc6fc00cec4dbe87e7dfe72f4dcae92025-08-20T04:01:35ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-07-011611610.1038/s41467-025-61263-6Abstraction hierarchy to define biofoundry workflows and operations for interoperable synthetic biology research and applicationsHaseong Kim0Nathan J. Hillson1Byung-Kwan Cho2Bong Hyun Sung3Dae-Hee Lee4Dong-Myung Kim5Min-Kyu Oh6Matthew Wook Chang7Yong-Su Jin8Susan J. Rosser9Peter Vegh10Rennos Fragkoudis11Rosalind Le Feuvre12Nigel S. Scrutton13Marko Storch14Wonjae Seong15Paul S. Freemont16Seung-Goo Lee17Korea Biofoundry, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB)Department of Energy Agile BioFoundryGraduate School of Engineering Biology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)Korea Biofoundry, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB)Korea Biofoundry, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB)Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Chungnam National UniversityDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea UniversityNUS Synthetic Biology for Clinical and Technological Innovation (SynCTI), National University of SingaporeDepartment of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignSchool of Biological Sciences, University of EdinburghSchool of Biological Sciences, University of EdinburghSchool of Biological Sciences, University of EdinburghManchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester (UoM)Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester (UoM)Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College LondonKorea Biofoundry, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB)Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College LondonKorea Biofoundry, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB)Abstract Lack of standardization in biofoundries limits the scalability and efficiency of synthetic biology research. Here, we propose an abstraction hierarchy that organizes biofoundry activities into four interoperable levels: Project, Service/Capability, Workflow, and Unit Operation, effectively streamlining the Design‑Build‑Test‑Learn (DBTL) cycle. This framework enables more modular, flexible, and automated experimental workflows. It improves communication between researchers and systems, supports reproducibility, and facilitates better integration of software tools and artificial intelligence. Our approach lays the foundation for a globally interoperable biofoundry network, advancing collaborative synthetic biology and accelerating innovation in response to scientific and societal challenges.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61263-6
spellingShingle Haseong Kim
Nathan J. Hillson
Byung-Kwan Cho
Bong Hyun Sung
Dae-Hee Lee
Dong-Myung Kim
Min-Kyu Oh
Matthew Wook Chang
Yong-Su Jin
Susan J. Rosser
Peter Vegh
Rennos Fragkoudis
Rosalind Le Feuvre
Nigel S. Scrutton
Marko Storch
Wonjae Seong
Paul S. Freemont
Seung-Goo Lee
Abstraction hierarchy to define biofoundry workflows and operations for interoperable synthetic biology research and applications
Nature Communications
title Abstraction hierarchy to define biofoundry workflows and operations for interoperable synthetic biology research and applications
title_full Abstraction hierarchy to define biofoundry workflows and operations for interoperable synthetic biology research and applications
title_fullStr Abstraction hierarchy to define biofoundry workflows and operations for interoperable synthetic biology research and applications
title_full_unstemmed Abstraction hierarchy to define biofoundry workflows and operations for interoperable synthetic biology research and applications
title_short Abstraction hierarchy to define biofoundry workflows and operations for interoperable synthetic biology research and applications
title_sort abstraction hierarchy to define biofoundry workflows and operations for interoperable synthetic biology research and applications
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61263-6
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