Dhar Lab
research focus
the dark genome
syn bio policy
lab grown meat
Science Frontiers
Episode 1: Historical perspective of Synthetic Biology
Episode 2: Engineering and Biology
Episode 3: Building standards in biology
Episode 4: The Dark Genome
Episode 5: Synthetic Biology policy
SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY POLICY FRAMEWORK
FORESIGHT REPORT
Pawan K Dhar,
Balakrishna Pisupati
Funded by Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi
Youtube
Pawan K. Dhar
Professor, School of Biotechnology,
Jawaharlal Nehru University
New Delhi 110067
What is Synthetic biology?
Synthetic biology is a rational and ground-up construction of biomolecular components towards applications. The construction may be in the native or a non-native setting.
The term 'Native' refers to the redesign of existing pathways. Non native refers to the transfer of pathways across organisms. Though the term was proposed 1970s, it was formally reintroduced in June 2004, at the first annual conference of synthetic biology at MIT
What makes synthetic biology unique?
1. Rational design and construction in biology
2. Genome-wide data sheet of part, device and circuits
3. The rules of composing an organism are unknown.
4. IEEE equivalent standards in biology do not exist.
5. installable pathways as plug-in, plug out apps
6. non ATGC DNA
7. Long DNA synthesis technology
8. Genome editing tools
9. Biofoundry
You may want to quickly read some of the FAQs HERE
Looking back, the term 'genetic engineering' seems to be a bit of exaggeration!
In reality, researchers practiced ‘probability’ in the name of 'engineering'. With the emergence of Synthetic biology, a conscious effort towards engineering biological systems, using standards and rules of composition, has begun!
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