Work in the Centre for Chemical and Synthetic Biology (CCSB) aims to develop new approaches to understanding biology at the molecular level, both in vitro and in living organisms, and to apply these approaches to provide new insights into biological phenomena. To achieve this scientists in the Centre are combining progress in the engineering of biological systems with the development of innovative chemistry.

The Centre has the unusual advantage of providing an environment where a critical mass of chemistry-driven research is embedded in a biological laboratory, allowing the development of foundational technologies to be coupled to their application through collaborative efforts.