Synthetic biology — an emerging field that aims to use engineering tools and principles to build biological devices and systems — holds promise for a vast range of applications, as well as for developing a better understanding of living organisms. Many challenges must be overcome, however, before the potential of this field can be realized. One such challenge is the ability to build genetic circuits with ease.
Over the past 15 years, engineers and scientists have designed and built many genetic parts, including sensors, memory switches, and biological clocks, as well as combinations of these parts. When inserted into a host organism such as yeast, these circuits modify the organism’s existing functions or add new functions to the organism. However, designing such circuits is a laborious process that requires intimate knowledge of how the parts work and their idiosyncrasies, as well as a wealth of expertise in genetics and engineering, among other disciplines.
Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a programming language and software to build complex DNA-based circuits that could make this...
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