Chapter 8 - Computational Methods for Strain Design

Abstract

Synthetic biology aims to design and modify cellular functions to engineer cells to perform specific and well-defined functions. This control over the capabilities of the cell is dependent on the knowledge of cellular behavior and its regulatory control. Towards this end, synthetic biology has resulted in the creation of genetic circuits to help visualize and standardize the various modules employed to modify cellular functions. However, the complexity of biological systems has made it difficult to directly modify the target cellular component, due to unanticipated effects on other cellular functions and the overall physiology. Therefore, computational tools have been developed to aid in the prediction and analysis of possible synthetic biology strategies for modifying the cell. In this chapter, computational tools developed for designing genetic components and strategies are presented. Furthermore, the need for a systems-level analysis and the application for engineering cells using these computational synthetic biology tools are discussed.