Synthetic biology, “the aim is to create improved biological functions to fight current and future challenges”. Like all engineering disciples’ synthetic biology is motivated by application to solve specific problems” (3, 7). “Like chemistry biology is the study of living things. Synthetic biology is replicating and recreating nature, which allows it to sometimes control living things (6). Larger quantities of Artemisinin a drug for malaria will be due to the new E coli strain. Thoughts are that it may be able to produce food, optimize industrial processing and detect, prevent and cure cancer (1, 3). Synthetic biology will create DNA that is modified, “it will be able to tweak things”. The engineering component of synthetic biology provides new complex function in cells vastly, more efficient, reliable, predictable” (2, 4). Studies say the synthetic biology industry to grow in value to 10.5 billion dollars by 2016 from 1.6 billion in 2011. Synthetic biology has endless possibilities (7, 10).
In the mid nineteenth century scientist started synthesizing molecules instead of looking a...
In the late twentieth century, the field of biotechnology and genetic engineering has positioned itself to become one of the great technological revolutions of human history. Yet, things changed when Herber Boyer, a biochemist at the University of California, founded the company Genentech in 1976 to exploit the commercial potential of his research. Since then the field has exploded into a global amalgam of private research firms developing frivolous, profit-hungry products, such as square trees tailor-made for lumber, without any sort of government regulation.
Many people feel that biology has become more advanced than physics. Biology has in fact become the new focus of the future as we tend to use it a lot in our daily lives. The study of Biotechnology is known as the branch of molecular biology that studies the use of microorganisms to perform specific industrial processes. This study shows that our lives can be transformed.
Synthetic Biology is “the design and construction of new biological parts, devices, systems, and the re-designing of existing, natural biological systems for useful purpose” ("Synthetic Biology"). In the essay A Synthetic World by Seirian Sumner, he illustrates the possible outcomes of synthetic biology and how it specifically affects the “natural world.” Furthermore, he explains that by manipulating organisms goes completely
Although humans have altered the genomes of species for thousands of years through artificial selection and other non-scientific means, the field of genetic engineering as we now know it did not begin until 1944 when DNA was first identified as the carrier of genetic information by Oswald Avery Colin McLeod and Maclyn McCarty (Stem Cell Research). In the following decades two more important discoveries occurred, first the 1953 discovery of the structure of DNA, by Watson and Crick, and next the 1973 discovery by Cohen and Boyer of a recombinant DNA technique which allowed the successful transfer of DNA into another organism. A year later Rudolf Jaenisch created the world’s first transgenic animal by introducing foreign DNA into a mouse embryo, an experiment that would set the stage for modern genetic engineering (Stem Cell Research). The commercialization of genetic engineering began largely in 1976 wh...
The introduction of synthetic biology, explained as "the design and construction of new biological parts, devices, and systems, and the re-design of existing, natural biological systems for useful purposes" ("Synthetic Biology") has almost taken over the field of biology. This branch of biology has become fairly new with the technological era that has every country funding money towards their science departments. Synthetic biology has many sections under it because of it 's broad coverage. It can affects medicine, the economy, global health, consumerism, security, the environment and much more. One big controversial issue under synthetic biology is the thought that because new strains and types of DNA are being introduced
One of the most important subjects in science is biotechnology. The use of organisms, living systems, or parts of organisms is what biotechnology is all about. Biotechnology involves manipulating nature in order to make systems, products, or environments for human or other species. We can 't argue the fact that biotechnology has played a big role in scientific research, for it has modified plants, humans, organisms, etc. Biotechnology is all around us and in our everyday lives, from the clothes on our back , the chemicals we use to clean them with, the food we consume, the medicine we use to treat each other, even the fuel we use to get to our destination.
One example of this technology is the use of bacterial transformation to make insulin. The vector for this process is the E Coli bacteria (Veloso). The gene that codes for insulin comes from human DNA, found on the eleventh chromosomes. This gene is cut using a restriction enzyme, and inserted into a plasmid cut with the same restriction enzyme so the new DNA will fit in the plasmid, which is then inserted into the E Coli bacteria. When the bacteria multiplies, the plasmid is also duplicated with every new bacteria, meaning so is the insulin (Ovsov). Since the bacteria grows and produces insulin, this insulin can be collected for human use. This is very beneficial to people like diabetics, who need insulin to manage and control their blood sugar levels, but may not be able to make enough or
Genetic Engineering is the deliberate alteration of an organism's genetic information (Lee 1). The outcome scientists refer to as successful entitles the living thing’s ability to produce new substances or perform new functions (Lee 1). In the early 1970’s, direct manipulation of the genetic material deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) became possible and led to the rapid advancement of modern biotechnology (Lee 1).
In order to build something, you must know everything about it. Therefore, in order to synthesize artificial human genes, scientists must first know or learn everything about them. To meet this requirement, a very large amount of research must be done; therefore, resulting in many new groundbreaking discoveries. Understanding how something works, also means understanding what does not work about it. These discoveries could be invaluable to treating illnesses and diseases; furthermore, it could also provide the means to a multitude of
The synthetic cells apply their work to other fields such as in industry. The creator of the cells Craig Venter, has co-founded a company has been made to harness synthetic cells for making industrial products, says that the achievement messengers the creation of customized cells to make drugs, fuels and other products. But there has been an explosion in powerful ‘gene-editing’ techniques, which enable relatively easy and selective tinkering with genomes, “The idea of building whole genomes is one of the dreams and promises of synthetic biology,” says Paul Freemont, a synthetic biologist at Imperial College London (“‘Minimal’ cell raises stakes in race to harness synthetic life”). In the medical field, adult stem cells have been discovered to be used for medical treatments such as bone marrow transplants, whereas embryonic stem cells can be developed into tissue types stem cell “lines” (“About Synthetic Biology’). The discovery of the ability to grow cells allows scientists to replicate living cell
Alu elements are the most abundant type of retrotransposable element, and are incorporated into the genetic sequence in a copy and paste manor. ~10.7% of the genome consists of Alu elements[1]. The large amount of Alu elements in the human genome results because of how they are replicated by LINE retrotransposons[2]. After replication they look similar to RNA Polymerase III replicated DNA, or mRNA, but they are reverse transcribed from the like-mRNA sequence into a newly created Alu element that can be transposed to a target sequence in the genome. Due to the vast amount of Alu elements, they contribute to genetic diversity and disease by inserting into sensitive portions of the genome that can result in mutagenesis. In my chosen case study,
Synthetic biology is the genetic engineering of an organism in able to alter the characteristics, traits, and task that it is not naturally supposed to. The goal of synthetic biology is to create new life forms by inserting computer-generated DNA sequences into living cells, and then breeding them to produce offspring. Unlike biology and chemistry, which are meant to be understood, synthetic biology is used to change the way something works. "Whereas standard biology treats the structure and chemistry of living things as natural phenomena to be understood and explained, synthetic biology treats biochemical processes, molecules, and structures as raw materials and tools to be used in novel and potentially useful ways, quite independent of their natural roles. It joins the knowledge and techniques of biology with the practical principles and techniques of engineering." The process of synthetic biology involves extracting the genetic makeup of one organism and inserting it into another organism. This all started in 1971 when Ananda Chakrabarty patented a bacteria genetically engineered ...
For the biotechnology industry, the future is now. Biotech companies are producing new and improved drugs, mapping the genome, and creating artificial organs and body parts. The advent of these new products will increase the quality of life for those who have access to them. Advancements in the biotechnology field have received a lot attention by the press and publications. They have given the impression that it is almost imperative to learn about this fairly new field of study.
Transgenesis has a really high value in producing medicine. In 1974, Cohen transferred the gene of Staphylococcus aureus that against penicillin to colon bacillus, which started humans’ study of transgenesis. Than, in 1982, an American company called Lily successfully reorganized colon bacillus and made it became insulin. Thus, the first medicine produced by genetic engineering appeared. This product was a breakthrough in the history of transgenic technology. Later, Holland foster a transgenic net which had been planted in the human erythropoietin in 1992. Human erythropoientin could stimulate the production of red blood cells and is a useful medicine for healing people who has anemia. With the transgenic technique, the genes of different kinds of organisms could be reorganized, which means humans could reform every organism’s hereditary feature and create a new life style according their own
Biotechnology is a group of technologies that work together with living cells and their molecules to prolong life (Keener and Hoban et al., 2014). Today biotechnology can be used in a variety of ways such as in an industrial setting where they use it to create enzymes to synthesize chemicals, in an environmental setting where they use it for waste and pollution prevention and lastly it can be used in medical applications such as in pharmaceuticals, genetic engineering, DNA fingerprinting and in lastly it can be used in stem cell therapy (Keener and Hoban et al., 2014). Everyone in today’s society depends and uses biotechnology in one form or another, biotechnology is essential for our health and wellbeing.