synthetic biology

Synthetic biology applies engineering principles, in particular electrical engineering principles, to the understanding of biological processes and the construction of cells and organisms with new function. As the electronic circuitry of computers is built from transistors, processors, and mainboards, the circuitry of cells can be deconstructed into protein and gene networks. We are reprogramming cellular networks by engineering them with artificial components that allow us, for example, to conduct Boolean logic operations with DNA molecules and to expand the genetic code with non-natural amino acids. These tools enable us not only to investigate biological systems, but also to construct cells and organisms with fundamentally new functions in order to address important societal problems, especially related to human health.

---

previous

next