BioBrick Part Program

We are taking several steps to improve the Registry this year. First, we are working on the tools. Take a look at the new sequence analysis for example. Second, we are working on the software itself. For example, we are adding various assembly scars, part versions and computer-readable information. Third, we are working on the organization of the part categories.


However, the most important improvement we can make is to increase the number of well-documented, accurate, and useful parts. As the Registry has become more serious, we must take the parts more seriously. The parts in the Registry are of varying quality - but there are lots of them.


We have been talking for a couple years about instituting a review, promotion, and publication plan. Parts would start out in the designer's sandbox, become a favorite, and then be eligible for promotion to an approved part. This promotion would require standards for the quality of the part and peer review. Once reviewed, the part would be promoted to be an official BioBrick™ part and the part would be published.


Tom Knight has volunteered to chair the review committee. He is looking for members who will first decide how the process should work and then organize the reviews.


If you are interested in joining the BioBrick™ Part Program, add your name here:

  • Parijata Mackey - rockin the standards
  • Jason Kelly, woohoo lets get our ™ on ;)
  • Barry Canton - Can we get some more information on this initiative and its objectives? How is it being advertised to the community?
  • Karmella Haynes - Perhaps the BioBrick parts could be peer-reviewed, like published articles are. Maybe creating an official BioBrick could carry the same weight as having a published paper, at least in the Syn. Bio. world.
  • Chris Anderson - I'm interested!
  • Alfonso Jaramillo
  • Caroline Ajo-Franklin - Sharing is good only if we're sharing good stuff.
  • Mackenzie Cowell - Respected Peer Review will be the mint for the reputation currency that incentivizes making good parts and sharing them for free.
  • James Brown - (feeling good)
  • Scott Mohr - Let's hope that official BioBricks become the gold standard of SB!
  • Justin Pahara-
  • Stefan Luzi - Standardized BioBricks for a new biotech era!
  • Samuel Bottani - It would be great to classify or label Biobricks in the registry according to the quality of their documentation.
  • John Cumbers - whatever happened to this?
  • Julie Norville
  • Cil Purnick - interested in working with mammalian part standardization
  • Daniel Singh - I am interested as well.

We are developing the BioBrick™ Part Promotion Process It should be ready for comments by August 17th, 2007. - Randy