Advances in Synthetic Biology

Abstract

Synthetic biology is an interdisciplinary branch of biology and engineering. The subject combines various disciplines from within these domains, such as biotechnology, evolutionary biology, genetic engineering, molecular biology, molecular engineering, systems biology, biophysics, and computer engineering. The definition of synthetic biology is debated, not only among natural scientists and engineers but also in the human sciences, arts and politics. One popular definition is “designing and constructing biological modules, biological systems, and biological machines for useful purposes.” However, the functional aspects of this definition are rooted in molecular biology and biotechnology. As usage of the term has expanded to many interdisciplinary fields, synthetic biology has been recently defined as the artificial design and engineering of biological systems and living organisms for purposes of improving applications for industry or biological research. In the present book, fourteen typical literatures about synthetic biology published on international authoritative journals were selected to introduce the worldwide newest progress, which contains reviews or original researches on biotechnology, genetic engineering, molecular biology, molecular engineering, systems biology, ect. We hope this book can demonstrate advances in synthetic biology as well as give references to the researchers, students and other related people.