Synthetic Biology

By Mukta Khanolkar | 7 September 2024

Synthetic biology is a rapidly evolving field that focuses on designing and refining biological systems (several small biological components working together to perform a common function) for a desired use. It is an engineering discipline based on the principles of biology. The end product of such a biological system ranges from simple compounds to complex artificial organisms. Synthetic biology has vast applications in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, bioremediation, and many more areas.

Synthetic biology follows a DBTL cycle:

  1. Design: To design suitable components/systems for the required purpose
  2. Build: To build these designs using biological building blocks such as DNA, RNA, and other organic molecules
  3. Test: To test the feasibility and efficiency of the created components
  4. Learn: To identify areas of improvement and revise the process

A key tool of synthetic biology is genetic engineering. DNA, the genetic code of the cell, can be cut, pasted, and edited to modify gene functions. The 'engineered' DNA is replicated and expressed to obtain the desired results. This means you can program a cell, by introducing new genes or editing existing ones, to create the product you want - which in most cases is a protein of some sort, but could also be an organism exhibiting desirable traits.

Previous iGEM projects by IISc teams serve as fantastic examples of the potential of Synthetic Biology:

References:

  1. Vijai Singh, ... Khalid J. Alzahrani, New Frontiers and Applications of Synthetic Biology, 2022 Antoine Danchin, Agnieszka Sekowska, Methods in Microbiology, 2013
  2. Elizabeth J. Vojvoda, ... Javin P. Oza, New Frontiers and Applications of Synthetic Biology, 2022 Boon Chin Heng, Martin Fussenegger, Synthetic Biology, 2013
  3. Seok Hoon Hong, Ana Serratosa Fernandez-Baca, New Frontiers and Applications of Synthetic Biology, 2022

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