Microbes Made to Order

A new breed of bioengineers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology aims to create Escherichia coli, blinking microbes from off-the-shell parts, which if successful, would reach one of the goals of synthetic biology: to allow researchers to "go into the freezer, get a part, hook it up,"...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2004-01, Vol.303 (5655), p.158-161
Main Author: Ferber, Dan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algorithms
Bacteria
Bioengineering
Biology
Design engineering
Educational Technology
Engineering
Environmental engineering
Feedback (Response)
Genes
Genetic engineering
Genetics
Mathematics
Microbial genetics
Microbiology
Microorganisms
Molecular Biology
News Focus
Research Proposals
Researchers
Synthetic biology
Synthetic products
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A new breed of bioengineers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology aims to create Escherichia coli, blinking microbes from off-the-shell parts, which if successful, would reach one of the goals of synthetic biology: to allow researchers to "go into the freezer, get a part, hook it up," and have it work the first time. Bacterial blinking circuits are just one element in the MIT researchers' "registry of standard biological parts," which is akin to an inventory that electrical engineers or basement tinkerers might consult when they design a new device, says class constructor Drew Endy of MIT. Ferber probes on the research.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.303.5655.158