Synthetic biology advances and applications in the biotechnology industry: a perspective

• Published in: Journal of industrial microbiology & biotechnology 2018-07, Vol.45 (7), p.449-461
• Main Authors: Katz, Leonard, Chen, Yvonne Y., Gonzalez, Ramon, Peterson, Todd C., Zhao, Huimin, Baltz, Richard H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Actinobacteria - genetics; Actinobacteria - metabolism; Animals; Biochemistry; Bioinformatics; Biology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biosensing Techniques; Biosynthesis; Biotechnology; Biotechnology - trends; Biotechnology industry; CHO Cells; Combinatorial analysis; Commercialization; Computer applications; Cricetulus; CRISPR; CRISPR-Associated Protein 9 - genetics; CRISPR-Associated Protein 9 - metabolism; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Design engineering; DNA; DNA biosynthesis; DNA Fragmentation; DNA sequencing; Escherichia coli - genetics; Escherichia coli - metabolism; Food supply; Gene Editing; Gene Expression Regulation; Genetic Engineering; Genome editing; Genomes; Humans; Industry; Informatics; Inorganic Chemistry; Insulin; Life Sciences; Metabolic Engineering; Metabolic Engineering and Synthetic Biology - Original Paper; Metabolites; Microbiology; Microorganisms; Organic chemistry; Recombinant DNA; Renewable energy; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - genetics; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - metabolism; Secondary metabolites; Software; Synthetic biology; Synthetic Biology - trends
• ISSN: 1367-5435; 1476-5535
• DOI: 10.1007/s10295-018-2056-y

Synthetic biology is a logical extension of what has been called recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology or genetic engineering since the 1970s. As rDNA technology has been the driver for the development of a thriving biotechnology industry today, starting with the commercialization of biosynthetic human insulin in the early 1980s, synthetic biology has the potential to take the industry to new heights in the coming years. Synthetic biology advances have been driven by dramatic cost reductions in DNA sequencing and DNA synthesis; by the development of sophisticated tools for genome editing, such as CRISPR/Cas9; and by advances in informatics, computational tools, and infrastructure to facilitate and scale analysis and design. Synthetic biology approaches have already been applied to the metabolic engineering of microorganisms for the production of industrially important chemicals and for the engineering of human cells to treat medical disorders. It also shows great promise to accelerate the discovery and development of novel secondary metabolites from microorganisms through traditional, engineered, and combinatorial biosynthesis. We anticipate that synthetic biology will continue to have broadening impacts on the biotechnology industry to address ongoing issues of human health, world food supply, renewable energy, and industrial chemicals and enzymes.