What is Synthetic Biology?

Synthetic biology is a branch of science that has just emerged in the 21st century. In recent years, research on synthetic biological materials has made rapid progress. Synthetic biology and traditional biology have different methods of studying the internal structure by dissecting the living body. The research direction of synthetic biology is completely opposite. It starts from the most basic elements and builds components one by one.

Synthetic biology

Synthetic biology, originally proposed by Hobom B. in 1980

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Synthetic biopharmaceuticals for early safety applications may appropriately handle existing regulatory frameworks,

Synthetic biology will give birth to the next biotechnology revolution. At present, scientists are not limited to doing very hard

"Synthetic biology is an emerging field of biological research in the early 21st century. It is based on clarifying and simulating the basic laws of biosynthesis, to achieve artificial design and construction of new biological systems with specific physiological functions, and to build drugs and functional materials. Or energy manufacturing alternatives, China must attach importance to and strengthen research and development in this field. "Recently, at the 144th Oriental Science and Technology Forum with the theme of" Front Issues in Fundamentals of Synthetic Biology "from all over the country Appeals were made by more than 60 members of both academicians and experts.

Executive Chairman of China Conference

Latest breakthrough

Synthia and its father (11 photos)

In 2010, a research team led by Craig Venter successfully created a new bacterial species-"Synthia" at the American Institute for Vent Research. They eliminated the nucleus of Mycoplasma capricolum (bacterial A); decoded and copied the DNA sequence of M. mycoides (bacterial B) into a computer. Then through artificial synthesis method (visually speaking, this DNA sequence is printed out with a genetic printer), the DNA of bacterial B is remade and added to the cells of bacterial A and activates it. Craig also added a "watermark" (like their e-mail address) to this new DNA to make it easier to identify and distinguish in the future. The function of the "watermark" is to make the cell A that has regained DNA have the ability to make blue pigment. Since the original cell A does not have the ability to produce pigment (so it is white), the newly synthesized cell A will be easily identified. .

So, after spending $ 40,000,000 and waiting for 15 years, on May 20, 2010, Gibson and his colleagues announced at the Vent Institute that the world s first bacterial species created by pure artificial synthesis born. The experimental results of this "verifying theory" gave a lot of confidence to many scientists who are exploring and conducting similar projects, because Craig proved the possibility and practicality of artificial species creation ^[4] .

Unlike traditional biology, which studies the internal structure by dissecting a living body, the research direction of synthetic biology is completely opposite: it starts from the most basic elements to build components step by step. Reshaping life is the core idea of the emerging science of synthetic biology. The discipline is dedicated to building the microbial genome from scratch, thereby breaking down, altering, and expanding the genetic code established by nature 3.5 billion years ago. In addition, artificial bacteria can also be used to force a bacteria to synthesize amino acids. Synthetic biology is an emerging branch of genetic engineering that has attracted a large number of biologists and information engineers to work on this research.

Humans are designing and constructing life systems that can exist in a predetermined way. In some cases, they run on artificially developed genetic codes, so they have capabilities that some natural organisms don't, explained Drew Endy, the head of the Synthetic Biology Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Unlike genetic engineering, which extends, changes, and transfers genes from one species to another, the goal of synthetic biology is to build artificial biological systems that make them function like circuits. Different from the traditional method of studying the internal structure of the living body by dissecting the living body, the research direction of synthetic biology is completely opposite. It starts from the most basic elements to build components step by step. "The so-called synthesis is that we build each living part, a process against the natural world." Scientists studying synthetic biology predict that the success of synthetic biology will mean a great advance in science. According to Wendel Lim, a protein research engineer at the University of California in the United States, synthetic biology achieves the purpose of treating various diseases by repairing cell functions, eliminating tumors, stimulating cell growth, and regenerating certain decisive cells.

Some experts have suggested that a cell robot equipped with a biochip be allowed to wander through our arteries to detect and eliminate atherosclerosis that causes blood clots. Other researchers believe that synthetic biology can also be used to make a variety of bacteria that can be used to eliminate water pollution, remove garbage, and treat nuclear waste. Endy also proposed that a biological machine could be used to detect chemical and biological weapons, issue explosive warnings, and even obtain energy from the sun to make clean fuel. But there are also some cautious researchers who believe that there is some potential danger in synthetic biology, which would subvert the concepts of nanotechnology and traditional genetic engineering. If the idea of creating a new living body put forward by synthetic biology is realized, scientists must effectively prevent the abuse of this technology, prevent bioethical conflicts, and some unpredictable disasters.

In 2002, New York University virologist Ekkad Wimmel announced that he and his research team had purchased short pieces of DNA from biotechnology companies and linked them with the help of DNA synthesis companies to create artificial Synthetic poliovirus. The success of this research allowed Weimer to complete a task that had never been done before. But he also warned people that bioterrorists are fully capable of producing deadly viruses, such as Ebola virus, smallpox virus, and all viruses that currently cannot be eliminated by people's drugs.

There is no doubt that in the understanding of scientists, cells are the perfect design of the evolutionary wand of nature, and synthetic biology is the logical inference of this concept. Although the various researches and experiments performed by scientists in the field of synthetic biology are still in their infancy, this cutting-edge science will surely surprise people, whether such surprises are good or bad.