Synthetic Biology

1. WHAT IS THE INNOVATION? WHAT IS NEW? WHAT HAS CHANGED AS A CONSEQUENCE?

2.1. Definition of Synthetic Biotechnology

To begin with, it is important to understand what does synthetic biology means. Synthetic biology derives from traditional biotechnology. Traditional biotechnology is defined as any technological application that uses systems living organisms or derivatives to make or modify products or processes for specific uses. This concept is linked to Genetic engineering which involves the manipulation of genetic composition by introducing or eliminating specific genes through molecular biology techniques and DNA recombination. In other words, Engineering Genetics allows editing the genetic message in order to manipulate the messages of the DNA. The continued advancement of genetic engineering has caused the birth of a new field called Synthetic Biology.

Synthetic biology is a new growing science that focuses on re-building natural biological systems. As it was mentioned before, it is the engineering of biology: the synthesis of complex, biologically inspired systems which display functions that do not exist in nature. This science can be applied to all the levels of biological structures, from individual molecules to organisms. Consequently, synthetic biology will enable the design of ‘biological systems’ in a rational and systematic way. Synthetic biology is not a “discovery science”, it does not investigate how nature works, but it is ultimately about a new way of making things. Synthetic biology aims to create new programmable bodies, it means, creating microorganisms in so that they behave like small computers.

This means that Synthetic biology is a new area of biological research that combines science and engineering, with the main objective of designing and constructing new biological functions and systems not found in nature by modifying the DNA message of a biological structure.

2.2. Applications of Synthetic Biology...