Synthetic biology

Synthetic biology designs or redesigns biological systems using engineering principles and molecular biology techniques. It combines biological knowledge with the construction and testing of genetic and cellular systems.

Genetic circuit: A network of genetic components that processes inputs and produces regulated cellular outputs. Genetic circuits implement designed behaviors inside living cells.
Gene: A DNA or RNA sequence whose expression contributes to a functional product or regulatory activity. Genes are the basic information-bearing units altered in many synthetic designs.
Biomanufacturing: The production of materials or products using cells, enzymes, or other biological systems. Engineered cells can manufacture chemicals, materials, and therapeutic molecules.
Recombinant DNA: DNA formed by joining genetic material from different sources through laboratory methods. Recombinant DNA techniques supplied foundational ways to construct genetic combinations.
Biosafety: Practices and safeguards that prevent accidental exposure to or release of biological agents. Engineered organisms require containment and risk controls suited to their properties.
BioBrick: A standardized DNA sequence designed to be assembled with other sequences as a modular genetic part. BioBricks exemplify efforts to make genetic components interchangeable.
Promoter: A DNA sequence that helps recruit transcription machinery to initiate RNA synthesis. Promoters control when and how strongly engineered genes are expressed.
Artemisinin: A potent antimalarial compound produced naturally by sweet wormwood and also through engineered yeast fermentation. Engineered yeast demonstrated a route to producing a complex medicine.
Stanley Cohen: An American geneticist who helped develop recombinant DNA methods with Herbert Boyer. Cohen's work helped establish practical construction of engineered DNA.
Biosecurity: Measures that prevent the harmful acquisition, use, or release of biological materials and knowledge. Making biological construction more accessible can also create security concerns.

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