A Review of Synthetic Biology - Revision history

Dajordan: /* Designing New Parts */

2011-02-25T20:11:37Z

‎Designing New Parts

Wideloache: /* Synthetic Biology: A Brief Introduction */

2007-12-06T21:51:50Z

‎Synthetic Biology: A Brief Introduction

Wideloache at 21:01, 6 December 2007

2007-12-06T21:01:25Z

Wideloache at 20:16, 6 December 2007

2007-12-06T20:16:25Z

Dajordan: /* Synthetic Biology: A Brief Introduction */

2007-12-06T18:28:37Z

‎Synthetic Biology: A Brief Introduction

Wideloache: /* Synthetic Biology: A Brief Introduction */

2007-12-06T18:25:02Z

‎Synthetic Biology: A Brief Introduction

Wideloache at 18:24, 6 December 2007

2007-12-06T18:24:24Z

Dajordan: /* Synthetic Biology: A Brief Introduction */

2007-12-06T18:21:07Z

‎Synthetic Biology: A Brief Introduction

Lavoss: /* Optimizing Existing Biological Parts */

2007-12-06T06:04:06Z

‎Optimizing Existing Biological Parts

Lavoss: /* Optimizing Existing Biological Parts */

2007-12-06T06:01:44Z

‎Optimizing Existing Biological Parts

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 #[[Post-transcriptional Regulation Technologies - Erin Zwack]] <br> Using regulatory RNA, gene expression can now be controlled at the stage after transcription but before translation.
 #[[Logic Gates - Emma Garren]] <br> Logic gates are computing units that perform a logical function on one or more inputs to produce a single output.  Synthetic biologists use various cellular regulation mechanisms (transcription, translation, etc.) to create modular gene expression devices that can be combined in order to engineer cells that perform increasingly complex tasks.
-#[[Applications of Ribozymes in Synthetic Systems - Danielle Jordan]] <br> Ribozymes, or RNA enzymes, serve an important role in cellular function both by acting as carriers of genetic infomation and as catalysts for chemical reactions. These enzymes, which represent important ways of regulating genes, that have yet to be fully discovered.  Synthetic biology attempts to understand these complex interactions by creating artificial ribozymes and placing them into existing systems. This modular method of gene regulation could open new ways of solving existing promoter and reporter interactions.
+#[[Applications of Ribozymes in Synthetic Systems - Danielle Jordan]] <br> Ribozymes, or RNA enzymes, serve an important role in cellular function both by acting as carriers of genetic infomation and as catalysts for chemical reactions. These enzymes, which represent important ways of regulating genes, have yet to be fully discovered.  Synthetic biologists attempt to understand these complex interactions by creating artificial ribozymes and placing them into existing systems. This modular method of gene regulation could open new ways of solving existing promoter and reporter interactions.
 ===Constructing Biological Devices===

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 ==Synthetic Biology: A Brief Introduction==
-In 1978, the Nobel Prize in Medicine went to Werner Arber, Daniel Nathans, and Hamilton O. Smith for the discovery of restriction enzymes [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1978/index.html]. This discovery marked the beginning of recombinant DNA technology and genetic engineering. Researchers now had the ability to modify the genomes of organisms by cutting and pasting segments of their DNA. For years, genetic engineers have made slight genome modifications in organisms, either by the insertion or deletion of one or two genes, in order to observe phenotypic changes. More recently, as our knowledge of biological systems has grown, the new field of synthetic biology has begun to steal the spotlight. This field builds on the principles of genetic engineering, but attempts to modify genomes on a much larger scale. Instead of inserting or deleting one or two genes, synthetic biologists use recombinant DNA technology and, increasingly, artificial DNA synthesis to introduce whole gene networks into organisms. Because of its complex nature, synthetic biology successfully brings together many different disciplines such as biology, math, engineering and chemistry to try to engineer genomes using preexisting and new biological systems and components. Mathematical modeling enhances the design of synthetic systems before implementation in the wet lab. The possible areas of influence for such biological devices are seemingly infinite, ranging from the production of reusable biofuels to the treatment of some or all cancers. However, the ultimate goal of synthetic biology is not only to build novel biological systems, but to create a better understanding of existing ones.
+In 1978, the Nobel Prize in Medicine went to Werner Arber, Daniel Nathans, and Hamilton O. Smith for the discovery of restriction enzymes [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1978/index.html]. This discovery marked the beginning of recombinant DNA technology and genetic engineering. Researchers now had the ability to modify the genomes of organisms by cutting and pasting segments of their DNA. For years, genetic engineers have made slight genome modifications in organisms, either by the insertion or deletion of one or two genes, in order to observe phenotypic changes. More recently, as our knowledge of biological systems has grown, the new field of synthetic biology has begun to steal the spotlight. This field builds on the principles of genetic engineering, but attempts to modify genomes on a much larger scale. Instead of inserting or deleting one or two genes, synthetic biologists use recombinant DNA technology and, increasingly, artificial DNA synthesis to introduce whole gene networks into organisms. Because of its complex nature, synthetic biology brings together many different disciplines such as biology, math, engineering and chemistry to try to engineer genomes using preexisting and new biological systems and components. Mathematical modeling enhances the design of synthetic systems before implementation in the wet lab. The possible areas of influence for such biological devices are seemingly infinite, ranging from the production of reusable biofuels to the treatment of some or all cancers. However, the ultimate goal of synthetic biology is not only to build novel biological systems, but to create a better understanding of existing ones.
 ==Synthetic Biology in the Media==

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 ==Synthetic Biology: A Definition==
 ==Synthetic Biology: A Brief Introduction==
 In 1978, the Nobel Prize in Medicine went to Werner Arber, Daniel Nathans, and Hamilton O. Smith for the discovery of restriction enzymes [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1978/index.html]. This discovery marked the beginning of recombinant DNA technology and genetic engineering. Researchers now had the ability to modify the genomes of organisms by cutting and pasting segments of their DNA. For years, genetic engineers have made slight genome modifications in organisms, either by the insertion or deletion of one or two genes, in order to observe phenotypic changes. More recently, as our knowledge of biological systems has grown, the new field of synthetic biology has begun to steal the spotlight. This field builds on the principles of genetic engineering, but attempts to modify genomes on a much larger scale. Instead of inserting or deleting one or two genes, synthetic biologists use recombinant DNA technology and, increasingly, artificial DNA synthesis to introduce whole gene networks into organisms. Because of its complex nature, synthetic biology successfully brings together many different disciplines such as biology, math, engineering and chemistry to try to engineer genomes using preexisting and new biological systems and components. Mathematical modeling enhances the design of synthetic systems before implementation in the wet lab. The possible areas of influence for such biological devices are seemingly infinite, ranging from the production of reusable biofuels to the treatment of some or all cancers. However, the ultimate goal of synthetic biology is not only to build novel biological systems, but to create a better understanding of existing ones.
 ==Synthetic Biology in the Media==

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 =<center>A Review of Synthetic Biology</center>=
 <center><nowiki>*</nowiki>This wiki-page was produced as an assignment for [http://www3.davidson.edu/cms/x12.xml?debug=2 Davidson College's] [http://www.bio.davidson.edu/Courses/Synthetic/synthetic_Seminar.html Synthetic Biology Seminar] in the Fall of 2007.<nowiki>*</nowiki></center>
 ==Synthetic Biology: A Brief Introduction==

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 ==Synthetic Biology: A Brief Introduction==
-In 1978, the Nobel Prize in Medicine went to Werner Arber, Daniel Nathans, and Hamilton O. Smith for the discovery of restriction enzymes [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1978/index.html]. This discovery marked the beginning of recombinant DNA technology and genetic engineering. Researchers now had the ability to modify the genomes of organisms by cutting and pasting segments of their DNA. For years, genetic engineers have made slight genome modifications in organisms, either by the insertion or deletion of one or two genes, in order to observe phenotypic changes. More recently, as our knowledge of biological systems has grown, the new field of synthetic biology has begun to steal the spotlight. This field builds on the principles of genetic engineering, but attempts to modify genomes on a much larger scale. Instead of inserting or deleting one or two genes, synthetic biologists use recombinant DNA technology and, increasingly, artificial DNA synthesis to introduce whole gene networks into organisms. Because of its complex nature, synthetic biology must bring together many different disciplines such as biology, math, engineering and chemistry to rationally engineer genomes using preexisting and new biological systems and components. Mathematical modeling enhances the design of synthetic systems before implementation in the wet lab. The possible areas of influence for such biological devices are seemingly infinite, ranging from the production of reusable biofuels to the treatment of some or all cancers. However, the ultimate goal of synthetic biology is not only to build novel biological systems, but to create a better understanding of existing ones.
+Synthetic biology is a field that attempts to understand biological systems by creating and combining novel biological parts and networks and by testing models that carefully predict activity of gene regulation. In 1978, the Nobel Prize in Medicine went to Werner Arber, Daniel Nathans, and Hamilton O. Smith for the discovery of restriction enzymes [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1978/index.html]. This discovery marked the beginning of recombinant DNA technology and genetic engineering. Researchers now had the ability to modify the genomes of organisms by cutting and pasting segments of their DNA. For years, genetic engineers have made slight genome modifications in organisms, either by the insertion or deletion of one or two genes, in order to observe phenotypic changes. More recently, as our knowledge of biological systems has grown, the new field of synthetic biology has begun to steal the spotlight. This field builds on the principles of genetic engineering, but attempts to modify genomes on a much larger scale. Instead of inserting or deleting one or two genes, synthetic biologists use recombinant DNA technology and, increasingly, artificial DNA synthesis to introduce whole gene networks into organisms. Because of its complex nature, synthetic biology successfully brings together many different disciplines such as biology, math, engineering and chemistry to try to engineer genomes using preexisting and new biological systems and components. Mathematical modeling enhances the design of synthetic systems before implementation in the wet lab. The possible areas of influence for such biological devices are seemingly infinite, ranging from the production of reusable biofuels to the treatment of some or all cancers. However, the ultimate goal of synthetic biology is not only to build novel biological systems, but to create a better understanding of existing ones.
 ==Synthetic Biology in the Media==

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 ===Optimizing Existing Biological Parts===
 #[[Term_paper_wiki|Stochasticity in Gene Expression- Mike Waters]] <br> My paper will cover a characterization, implications, and ways to manipulate stochastic processes during gene expression.
-#[[Laura Voss - Promoters and Reporters in Synthetic Biology | Promoters and Reporters in Synthetic Biology - Laura Voss]] <br> Key to the construction of gene circuits and biosensors are promoter and reporter genes, which control how a cell's genes are transcribed when the cell's environment changes. In addition to using promoters and reporters as available to build cellular machines, synthetic biologists can also alter, redesign, or engineer these genetic components in order to refine biological design.
+#[[Promoters and Reporters in Synthetic Biology | Promoters and Reporters in Synthetic Biology - Laura Voss]] <br> Key to the construction of gene circuits and biosensors are promoter and reporter genes, which control how a cell's genes are transcribed when the cell's environment changes. In addition to using promoters and reporters as available to build cellular machines, synthetic biologists can also alter, redesign, or engineer these genetic components in order to refine biological design.
 #[[Directed Evolution and Synthetic Biology - Hunter Stone]] <br> Directed evolution is a method of cellular engineering that uses Darwinian selection to evolve proteins and RNA with desirable properties not found in nature. The reliance of this method on the randomness of mutation and nature's selective properties sharply contrasts to the logical modeling and reasoning associated with traditional synthetic methods. Some might say that the lack of planning involved with directed evolution means it is constitutionally different than synthetic biology. Regardless, the method has been shown to be effective in achieving desired results in a number of cases, and could prove instrumental in the optimization of synthetically-designed constructs.