What’s Synthetic Biology? | A Beginners’ Guide

10 min readApr 8, 2021

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In the future, synthetic biology will enable humanity to create gene-edited organisms, terraforming, but also bioterrorism. It’s up to us.

Synthetic biology is, simply put, genetic engineering plus engineering science. Its goal is to no longer just observe processes in living things, but to design them and mimic them in synthetic (i.e. artificially produced) systems. Biology should be built to do what humans expect it to do.

But the boundaries with other scientific disciplines such as biotechnology, organic chemistry, and information technology are melting away. Advances in exponential technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, offer biologists an unprecedented combination of efficiency and speed. At the same time, this raises many questions — about our own existence but also how far we should push the boundaries of life.

“I think the biggest innovations of the 21st century will be at the intersection of biology and technology. A new era is beginning.”
- Steve Jobs

From organisms that heal our bodies to bioterrorism

All the important information about us is stored in our DNA. More precisely, in our genes, the sections on the DNA. But what if we could change this information or even completely rewrite it? Synthetic biologists are doing just that, pushing the door wide open to previously unimaginable applications.

Gene-modified microbes could destroy tumors as they pass through our bodies and thus cure diseases. Adapted organisms could consume toxic chemicals and thus, incidentally, clean polluted water or our air. In colonizing new planets, synthetic life forms could do the terraforming of the planet’s surface for us. Living things could be modified so that they no longer transmit diseases.

Critics refer to this as “playing God.” As with virtually all future technologies, many questions remain unanswered about safety, but — in this case especially — ethics. The conscientious elaboration of safe solutions and possible applications is a central task for science, but also for our politicians, in the years to come.

In this guide we will try to understand the basics behind this exciting future technology in order to be able to form our own opinion.

Summary: What makes synth. Biology so disruptive?

Humans have been studying life forms since the dawn of history. With synthetic biology, we can now, for the first time, not only change them, but theoretically create them from scratch.
Synthetic biology applies various scientific disciplines (such as biotechnology or organic chemistry) as well as other disruptive technologies (such as AI) to everyday work.
The technology is very young. It was only in 2001 that a large part of the human genome was decoded. It is also estimated that more than 20 percent of gene functions are still unknown.
The technology has not yet lived up to expectations, as many practical applications do not yet exist on the market. Nevertheless, it is seen as having great potential. Especially also when taking into account the drastic cost reductions in the sequencing and synthesis of DNA.

How does synthetic biology work?

Synthetic biology can be used to create life artificially. But how exactly do biologists, chemists, computer scientists and engineers work together to create our future? Before we delve deeper, let’s familiarize ourselves with three basic terms.

DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid, but usually known as DNA, is the “software” of our entire body. It is stored in almost every one of our cells, in the nucleus.
Genes: Are the segments on the DNA. They contain the hereditary material for certain characteristics in the form of proteins. It is estimated that there are about 22,000 protein-coded genes and an unknown number of non-coded RNA genes in the human body.
Genome: Is the sum of the DNA; also called hereditary material.

Two camps with different approaches but the same goals

So scientists use genetic engineering to modify certain traits in the genes of living things. The new thing about synthetic biology is that they are no longer limited to modifying, but can synthesize life from scratch in the lab.

These two approaches divide scientists into two camps:

Top-down: In the top-down approach, scientists remodel cells. They remove or modify existing components. At the same time, they add components built to engineering standards, thus expanding the organism.
Bottom-up: This is the more radical approach, because in the bottom-up, scientists create biological systems from scratch.

Despite these fundamentally different approaches, researchers agree that three goals in particular are the focus of synthetic biology:

Modularity. All synthetically produced components are to be broken down into functional subunits known as “BioBricks.”
Standardization. The BioBricks must provide precisely fitting combinations in order to build new systems as in a modular system.
And last but not least, characterization to enable prediction of behavior.

CRISPR & the HGP read as a basis.

The basis of synthetic biology is the sequencing of DNA. Scientists have been able to read DNA since the 1970s. However, it wasn’t until 2003, thanks to the Human Genome Project Read (HGP-Read), that a complete sequence of the human genome was published. Hundreds of scientists from 40 different countries worked with enormous funding from 1988 to 2003 in collaborative research projects to completely map and understand all human genes. But to this day, many fundamentals remain unresolved. It is estimated that we currently know only 80 percent of gene function.

10 years later, in 2013, evidence that the CRISPR process, discovered in the late 1980s, also works in human cells led to a powerful tool for science. Using CRISPR sequences in combination with the enzyme Cas9, it is possible to manipulate human DNA. This is also known as “gene scissors.”

One reason for optimism about further future breakthroughs and initial practical applications is the drastic drop in the price of DNA sequencing and synthesis.

Cost of sequencing the human genome (Graphic: https://www.genome.gov)

Combined with Moore’s Law (somewhat reinterpreted as “improved performance at ever lower cost”), this could lead to more practical applications of synthetic biology.

So far, outside of the synthetically produced antimalarial drug artimisinin, there is not much to show for it. The idea of biocrops or new vaccines is still in its infancy. With the Human Genome Project Write (HGP-Write) as the successor of the above mentioned HGP-R, a group of scientists is now trying to gather further knowledge. Their goal is to artificially create the complete human genome (DNA writing).

However, whether this will help the technology to adapt to the mass market and make further breakthroughs is debatable. We can be curious.

Promises and applications in synthetic biology

Synthetic biology is pushing the door wide open to new applications. From medicines to environmental protection to food.

For the first time, synthetic biology has given scientists tools to not only alter functions in cells, but to artificially create them. The possibilities this opens up for changing our environment are gigantic. Biology can be adapted to human expectations. But what impact will technology have on humanity?

Much is possible, but little has already been implemented.

So far, synthetic biology has had little impact on our daily lives. Although many applications would be theoretically possible and are sketched again and again, researchers have failed to come up with practical solutions. The technology is too young and too limited to have already fulfilled all the predictions. Despite milestone achievements such as the synthesization of the first organism with more than one million base pairs by Craig Venter in 2010, we still do not understand many of the basics. For example, only about 80 percent of gene functions are known. This justifiably raises the question of how far our experiments can go.

In science, lack of knowledge can easily lead to fatal diseases, genetic mutations and other unintended consequences. Would we be willing to initiate a gene drive and thus displace other gene variants from the DNA of living organisms that are unpleasant to us? If so, we could modify insects so that they no longer transmit diseases. Intentionally induced negative consequences, however, could represent a new kind of threat to the whole of humanity as bioterrorism.

Last but not least, there is the question of ethics and what role in the universe humans should take.

Biological answers to diseases & environmental changes

Contrast this with all the benefits and promises for the future. Synthetic biology, that Steve Jobs called one of the key future technologies, can play an important role in our society in the next decades. Moore’s Law is helping to drive down the cost of producing genetic material, while performance is steadily improving. Sequencing as well as synthesizing DNA is thus becoming increasingly accessible. Not only for companies, but also for the mass of people in everyday life.

Medicine

Our current diseases could soon be history. Researchers are working on organisms that seek out and destroy tumors in the human body. The production of synthetic vaccines and drugs in the laboratory, such as the malaria drug artimisinin, is now commonplace. It will continue to accelerate in combination with technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Environment

Humans have polluted the environment to an unimaginable degree in recent decades. Through synthetic biology, microbes could be “coded” to consume toxic chemicals in water and air. Certain plants could in the future fix nitrogen and filter it out of the air. Agriculture could be sustainable without spending today’s substantial resources. When colonizing alien planets, modified organisms could do the terraforming, i.e., reshaping them into habitable surfaces.

Industry

Industry is benefiting from advances through biobased specialty products and bulk chemicals. The great promise of mass-market production of biofuels has not yet been fulfilled. Instead, the capabilities of organisms are being used, among other things, to give the first plant-based products a meaty taste, revolutionizing the food market. This is by no means all. Scientists are working on a wide range of applications. From microalgae that produce oils to synthetic fertilizers.

Looking to the future

Synthetic biology is already showing us its potential. We could reach a new level of health and biology. However, initial applications as well as the media, for example in the form of the Netflix series “Biohackers,” also make clear to us the dangers it poses. Should we underestimate the technology, overestimate our knowledge or fail to control the processes, this could lead to consequences that were previously hardly imaginable.

Top 5 biotech startups 2019 in synthetic biology

Biotech companies are in demand! Ever since humans began to embrace biology, there has been an unwavering fascination with the possibilities. Be it in the production of beer or vaccines. Technological advances and scientific discoveries have also led to a multitude of new fields in recent years. Among them, synthetic biology.

“The 1900s is reminisced by the industrial historians as ‘the Information Technology Era’ and the ‘Advanced Physics Era’, whereas, the 2000s might be manifested as the ‘Biotechnology Era’.” — Global Market Insights

Top startups: plant-based meat, gene editing & co.

In 2017 alone, the market size of biotechnologies was estimated at $301 billion. However, this value could nearly double to US$775 billion in 2025. Biomedicine accounts for a large part of the market. Research into new drugs already occupies a central position.

As is known from artificial intelligence, robotics or the Internet of Things, Asian countries are usually in a pioneering role. The Chinese, Japanese, South Koreans and Indians have also developed a great interest in synthetic biology. On the one hand, they need better and better medical care for their aging population, and on the other hand, their findings in the exponential technologies mentioned at the beginning are leading to advances in biology.

Below I present a few of the best funded startups in 2019. If you have any other suggestions, please feel free to contact me.

Beam Therapeutics (Cambridge, UK)

https://beamtx.com

Cambridge-based startup Beam Therapeutics focuses on treating diseases. Their technology is based on rewriting individual bases (called gene editing) in the human genome.

Motif Ingredients (Boston, USA)

http://madewithmotif.com/

A world with animal-free food? The founders of Motif Ingredients firmly believe so and are working on plant-based meat and dairy alternatives. The company is a spin-off of Ginkgo Bioworks, a biotech company focused on producing gene-modified bacteria. It raised $90 million from investors in Q1 2019.

Precision BioSciences (North Carolina, USA).

https://precisionbiosciences.com

Founded in 2006, Precision BioSciences is a startup focused on developing gene editing techniques. Their platform “ARCUS” is used for the treatment of human diseases. It also focuses on healthy and sustainable nutrition and agriculture.

Sherlock Biosciences (Cambridge, UK)

https://sherlock.bio

Today’s testing methods are either expensive or have limited availability. Sherlock Biosciences develops rapid tests for various medical applications. It uses synthetic biology and its own advancement of CRISPR technology.

SNIPR BIOME (Copenhagen, Denmark)

www.sniprbiome.com

Based out of the Danish capital, startup SNIPR BIOME focuses on serious infectious diseases. It relies on CRISPR technology to treat bacteria.

Cool Staff

Just in time for the launch of the Netflix series “Biohackers”, the American streaming service has come up with something cool. In collaboration with scientists at ETH Zurich, the first episode of the science thriller was stored in DNA. A storage medium for the next 1,000 years. But take a look for yourself…

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