Oscillatory synthetic biological system construction using interactive evolutionary computations

In this study, we propose an Interactive Evolutionary Computation system to design gene networks for synthetic biology, of which the objective is to construct new organisms through the artificial synthesis of gene networks. Wet laboratories typically design gene networks through trial and error methods, which makes the construction of complex networks difficult. As a solution, automation can significantly improve the efficiency of identification of useful networks. However, guidance and feedback from biologists are required for the automation of this process, primarily because models that are sufficiently accurate at precisely simulating network behavior do not exist yet. Therefore, we have implemented an Interactive Evolutionary Computation system that allows the automation of the gene network design task while incorporating expert knowledge. Our results show that the system can efficiently design oscillating networks and can successfully identify complex networks, which are difficult to generate manually.