By: Johan Jeson
Various processes related to genetics and engineering can be observed within Synthetic Biology.
The idea of fusing engineering and biology seems to be unreal. However, the most fundamental developments come from such a fusion.
Synthetic Biology is the result of such a complex, yet bizarre mix. It combines various domains ranging from Bio-Tech to Computer engineering and Genetics. Synthetic Biology applies these domains to create artificial biological systems for research and medical applications. It aims to re-design natural components from the world around us in order to derive new materials for medical use[1]. By engineering organisms, useful chemicals are produced from inexpensive renewable materials thus increasing productivity. It’s just like plants processing food during photosynthesis. #EngineeringSustainability
Synthetic Biology helps doctors, researchers, and scientists come up with effective treatment procedures for various life-threatening diseases. One of the best-known examples of an application of Synthetic biology is micro newly produced artemisinin which helps in treating malaria [2].
So, what’s the significance of Synthetic Biology?
The answer lies at the heart of the problem. Diseases have always been predominant in societies. Each time a drug is developed to counter a specific disease, another strong illness is born hence, diseases keep evolving as treatments keep changing. This can have a detrimental effect on human lives. How is Synthetic Biology related to this? It’s simple. Synthetic Biology helps in discovering the core of a specific disease and rewire it so that such illnesses won’t evolve or undergo changes and multiply.
Synthetic Biology enables us to track, control, and prevent the transmission of diseases. Synthetic Biology also promotes sustainability, wherein treatment is developed to benefit the patient without causing harm to the environment. #Ecofriendly
Recent advancements in Synthetic Biology enabled scientists to create new sequences of DNA from scratch. By integrating the principles of modern engineering, scientists can use technology to design new organisms and study their effects on the biogeochemical cycles of the environment. Thus, such incentives help aid in developing sustainable communities across the globe. Food shortages can be met as engineered crops provide organic foods at large quantities without any defects to the human body or the eco-system. It might seem quite ambitious however such developments could possibly lead to critical breakthroughs in Science. #DisruptiveScienceTech
According to the Synbiosafe project "Synthetic biology is becoming one of the hottest new fields of biology, with the potential to no less than revolutionize the way we do biotechnology today. By applying the toolbox of engineering disciplines to biology, a whole set of potential applications become possible ranging very widely across scientific and engineering disciplines. [3]"
Citations:
[1] Synthetic Biology Explained. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2018, from https://www.bio.org/articles/synthetic-biology-explained
[2] TechNyouvids. (2011, August 09). Synthetic Biology Explained. Retrieved November 22, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD5uNAMbDaQ
[3] What is Synthetic Biology? (n.d.). Retrieved December 24, 2018, from http://www.synbioproject.org/topics/synbio101/definition/
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