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An Insight into Synthetic Biology and It is Being Utilized in Diverse Applications Including Genetic Engineering

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Ajinkya
An Insight into Synthetic Biology and It is Being Utilized in Diverse Applications Including Genetic Engineering

Synthetic biology is the study of how living organisms form and evolve in response to their environment. Many questions remain about the nature of life, including how to create an artificial life form that can survive in harsh situations, such as space, extreme climate conditions, and other hazards. The field of synthetic biology has created tools and techniques for answering these questions, but it still remains a huge enigma. Synthetic Biology combines the disciplines of molecular biology and computer science. These disciplines combine to produce the information needed by genetics and cell biologists to develop new species. Synthetic Biology relies heavily on information generated by nature, such as genetic codes, RNA, DNA, and cells. Computers, lasers, microscopes, and genetic and cell technologies are all used to generate, store, retrieve, analyze, and print information from natural sources. The goal is to use the existing genetic information to produce an exact replica of the target species in a laboratory setting.

One field of Synthetic Biology that uses modern advances in molecular biology and computer science is biotechnology. Biotech researchers utilize the knowledge of their field to assist in the development of medicines that target life forms. Their efforts are directed towards the development of effective vaccines and therapeutic medicines that can protect against and cure deadly diseases such as cancer. Biotech researchers are also working on the development of bioengineered viruses and other types of infectious agents that can potentially be controlled and/or destroyed in the environment. Another application of synthetic biology is to create and use bioengineered plants and animals. Examples of these are genetically engineered crops that can increase food production around the world. Other applications include drugs, vaccines, cells, tissues, organs, and synthetic microorganisms. Biotech researchers have developed a number of ways to manipulate these organisms for business and industry purposes.

Synthetic Biology programs are used in the field of agriculture, to improve the production of genetically modified crops. These organisms are often targeted to provide specific nutrients or growth levels to help specific crops. Moreover, these engineered crops are commonly herbicide and pesticide-free. This allows them to be used for human consumption instead of having to be manufactured by chemical means. There is an abundance of synthetic biology research being conducted around the world. In fact, there is currently a synthetic biologist program in operation at Penn State University. There are numerous other research facilities each dedicated to different areas of synthetic biology.

Some of these areas of interest include developmental biology, microbial, genetic engineering, metabolite synthesis, chemical engineering, eukaryotic genome engineering, and general biotechnology. There are even programs that focus on the manufacture of pharmaceuticals through synthetic methods. Over the years, synthetic biology has helped to develop all kinds of tools and methods for scientists to use. It has allowed for the development of better antibiotics, blood banking, and even tissue engineering. Synthetic biology is clearly an advancing field that holds great promise for humanity. As synthetic biologists continue to develop and add to the knowledge of this field, we can only expect to see more tools and discoveries made available to help those that need them.

Read more @ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/insight-synthetic-biology-being-utilized-diverse-applications-k/

 

 

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