Synthetic Biology

This book provides a systematic and integrated framework to examine key enabling components in the emerging area of synthetic biology. Unique contributions from thought leaders address tools and methodologies developed for engineering biological systems at many levels, including molecular, pathway, network, whole cell, and multi-cell levels. It highlights many exciting examples of practical applications of synthetic biology such as microbial production of biofuels and drugs, artificial cells, synthetic viruses, and artificial photosynthesis. In addition, it discusses challenges and future prospects in synthetic biology.Synthetic biology is the design and construction of new biological entities, such as enzymes, genetic circuits, and cells or the redesign of existing biological systems. It builds on the advances in molecular, cell, and systems biology and seeks to transform biology in the same way that synthesis transformed chemistry and integrated circuit design transformed computing. The element that distinguishes synthetic biology from traditional molecular and cellular biology is the focus on the design and construction of core components that can be modeled, understood, and tuned to meet specific performance criteria and the assembly of these smaller parts and devices into larger integrated systems that solve specific biotechnology problems.