Synthetic biology and the future

Biology has been studied in two main ways: the reductionist approach, breaking a whole organism down into its molecules, and the integrative approach, putting the pieces together with bioinformatics and systems biology. In June 2004, at MIT, a third approach was announced: building organisms from the bottom up. This is synthetic biology. Like any engineering, it needs standard parts and rules for putting them together.

Synthetic biology is the rational design of biological parts to perform new functions, bringing biologists and engineers together. Its uses: making high-value molecules, new diagnostics, cheaper drugs, green fuels, and therapies against drug-resistant superbugs and cancer.

It depends on making long DNA chemically. A scientist can now design a plasmid on a computer, email its sequence to a company, and receive the actual DNA in under a month, instead of six months of laboratory work. A fully synthetic yeast chromosome, which works in living cells, has even been made.

Looking ahead: microbial factories that replace polluting chemical plants; microbes that eat harmful chemicals; plant-made medicines for low-income countries; better biomass and biofuels. But there are risks: new viruses, or bioweapons, could be made. So ethics and strict rules are essential.

India is a key supplier of vaccines to the world (DPT, BCG, measles), and quickly produced Covid-19 test kits and vaccines. The Draft National Biotechnology Development Strategy 2020-24 aims to build start-ups and link universities with industry.