Synthetic Biology

Abstract

Synthetic biology (SB) is developing rapidly in both the academic and applied industrial research realms. SB technologies possess the potential to fundamentally influence all areas of life science – and therefore our daily lives. This being said, discussion about basic concepts, such as a definition of SB, to more complex questions, including how to deal with ownership and intellectual property of fundamental discoveries, create effective regulatory policy, ensure biosecurity and biosafety, or establish ethical guidelines for researching and applying the products of SB is spirited and ongoing. How does the ability to digitally hypothesize, design, and engineer the metabolic pathways of an organism, or create novel organisms, change the dynamics of life science research and industry? Multiple areas of study intersect at SB, which makes this nascent yet powerful field intriguing to say the very least. This article aims to provide a broad overview of the many facets of SB and to provide the reader with a foundational understanding of the technology.