Definition: Synthetic Biology (also known as Synbio, Synthetic Genomics, Constructive Biology or Systems Biology) – the design and construction of new biological parts, devices and systems that do not exist in the natural world and also the redesign of existing biological systems to perform specific tasks. Advances in nanoscale technologies – manipulation of matter at the level of atoms and molecules – are contributing to advances in synthetic biology.
Transgenics, the kind of engineering you find in genetically modified tomatoes and corn, is old news. As recombinant DNA splicing-techniques turn 30 years old, a new generation of extreme biotech enthusiasts have moved to the next frontier in the manipulation of life: building it from scratch. They call it synthetic biology.
Contents:
- Extreme Genetic Engineering: An Introduction to Synthetic Biology
- Introduction: Original Syn?
- Synbio Basics [ Read/Write DNA: Gene Synthesis ~ Cleaning up the Code – Codons, Proteins and Pathways ]
- Five Alive – An Introduction to Five Major Areas of Research in Synthetic Biology [ Making Minimal Microbes – Post-modern Genomics ~ Assembly Line DNA – “Lego” Life-Forms to Order ~ Building Artificial Cells from the Bottom Up – Ersatz Evolution ~ Pathway Engineering – Bug Sweatshops ~ Expanding Earth’s Genetic System – Alien Genetics ]
- Implications of Synthetic Biology: [ Building a Better Bio-Weapon – What does synthetic biology mean for bioweapons? ~ The New Synthetic Energy Agenda – Rebooting Biofuels ~ Synthesizing New Monopolies from Scratch – Synthetic Biology and Intellectual Monopoly ~ Synthetic Conservation – What are the implications of gene synthesis and digital DNA for conservation of genetic resources and the politics of biodiversity? ~ Synthetic Commodities – Implications for Trade ~ Synbiosafety ]
- Synthetic Governance (Trust us. We’re experts.)
- Recommendations
- Case Study: Synthetic Biology’s Poster Child – Microbial Production of Artemisinin to Treat Malaria
- Glossary
- Endnotes
Extreme Genetic Enginering: An Introduction to Synthetic Biology.pdf (72 pages pdf file, 1 MB).
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