What is Synthetic biology?
(Synthetic Biology Vs Biotechnology)
Synthetic Biology is the discipline of biology by which the biologists can create organisms not found in nature or remake the existing organisms with the aim of producing new products.
Synthetic Biology differs from biotechnology. In biotechnology the scientists change the existing genetic material of organism by adding or removing one or more genes and the source of new added genes is another naturally existing organism. But in synthetic biology, whole genome or large section of DNA coding for specific metabolic pathway is synthetically prepared in lab from raw material and it is introduced in some naturally existing organism to replace the naturally existing genetic material. As the genetic material is synthesized, not taken from some organism, therefore it is called synthetic Biology.
Synthetic Biology has potential far more than biotechnology. In biotechnology we can only change few genes to produce a modified organism but in synthetic biology whole-genome can be changed thus producing altogether new organism not hitherto existing in nature. Synthetic Biology is an extreme of biotechnology.
Synthetic Biology is nicknamed 'synbio'.
Synthetic biologists have produced yeast producing squalane which is used in moisturizers. Normally on fermentation yeast produces alcohol but scientists have synthesized new genetic code programmed to produce squalene on fermentation. No yeast in nature have genes producing squalene on fermentation.
By synbio whole new metabolic Pathways have been created in bacteria, algae and yeast to make them living chemical factories. These synthetic microorganisms on fermentation produce useful products like vanilla, rose oil, saffron oil and more.
Synthetic organisms are simple as they have no unnecessary genetic material, where as genetically modified organisms created by biotechnologists have all non functional or extra DNA that is naturally found in them.
Genetically modified organisms are created by biotechnologists by cutting and pasting DNA whereas synthetic biology synthesise whole new DNA sequence.
The concern about synthetic biology is that it produces new types of organisms not existing in nature. It introduces those genes in organisms which are not found in nature in that organism and evem may not be present in the organisms on planet earth. These new organisms new genes can have possibly harmful effect on human life or other organisms and on our environment.
By.Ashwani
Biology Teacher
Phagwara.Pb
9646388266.
