What is engineering biology? And why is it going to change the world?

Engineering biology, like all great science, can make the seemingly impossible possible.

It is a discipline that looks at a pile of used plastic water bottles and sees a potential treatment for pain. It can go into the murk and muck of sewage systems and emerge with perfume.

However, widespread knowledge of the field and its economic and environmental potential is only in its infancy.

Put simply, engineering biology combines insights from biotechnology with engineering principles to harness biological processes to create new products and services. And it does so with a fraction of the carbon footprint of traditional industrial processes.

The University of Edinburgh is a world-leader in the field. Edinburgh scientists have already used engineering biology turn waste plastic into vanilla flavouring, fatbergs into perfume, and whisky waste into fishfood.  

Watch the video to find out more about engineering biology, how it is already having an impact, and what makes Edinburgh a pioneer.

_{Image credit: Edinburgh Innovations}