Abstract
In synthetic biology, biological cells and processes are dismantled and reassembled to make novel systems that do useful things. Designs are encoded by deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA); DNA makes biological (bio-)parts; bioparts are combined to make devices; devices are built into biological systems. Computers are used at all stages of the Design–Build–Test–Learn cycle, from mathematical modelling through to the use of robots for the automation of assembly and experimentation. Synthetic biology applies engineering principles of standardisation, modularity, and abstraction, enabling fast prototyping and the ready exchange of designs between synthetic biologists working around the world. Like toy building blocks, compatible modular designs enable bioparts to be combined and optimised easily; biopart specifications are shared in open registries. Synthetic biology is made possible due to major advances in DNA sequencing and synthesis technologies, and through knowledge gleaned in the field of systems biology. Systems biology aims to understand biology across scales, from the molecular and cellular, up to tissues and organisms, and describes cells as complex information-processing systems. By contrast, synthetic biology seeks to design and build its own systems. Applications of synthetic biology are wide-ranging but include impacting healthcare to improve diagnosis and make better treatments for disease; it seeks to improve the environment by finding novel ways to clean up pollution, make industrial processes for chemical synthesis sustainable, and remove the need for damaging farming practices by making better fertilisers. Synthetic biology has the potential to change the way we live and help us to protect the future of our planet.
Highlights
Synthetic biology seeks to design and build new biology that does useful things
The author declares that there are no competing interests associated with the manuscript
Craig Venter Institute; kb, kilobase pair (1 kb = 1000 bp); MAP, mitogen-activated protein; Mb, megabase pair (1 Mb = 1 000 000 bp); MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; mRNA, messenger RNA; NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; PKU, phenylketonuria; RNA, ribonucleic acid; SBOL, Synthetic Biology Open Language
Summary
Synthetic biology seeks to design and build new biology that does useful things. This is not a straightforward task and has only been possible in the last 20 years.
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