Perpendicular engineering is an emerging field of science that applies engineering principles and technology to biology. The goal of perpendicular engineering is to design and construct new biological parts, devices, and systems, as well as redesign systems found in nature. This new field aims to make biology easier to engineer for useful purposes like producing fuels, foods and chemicals.
Engineering Biology to Build Useful Products
One of the main goals of perpendicular engineering is to engineer organisms to produce useful molecules and materials. By modifying organisms' DNA, Synthetic Biology hope to turn microbes into tiny factories that manufacture all sorts of products. Some examples include:
- Biofuels: Scientists can design bacteria and yeast that more efficiently break down plant material into sugars, and then convert those sugars into advanced next-generation biofuels like butanol. This could help reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
- Pharmaceuticals: Perpendicular engineering techniques allow precise modification of microbial DNA to produce medically important compounds like antibodies, vaccines and antiviral drugs more cheaply and effectively than traditional methods.
- Materials: Synthetic biologists work on engineering organisms to produce novel materials like biodegradable plastics, lightweight structural materials, and high-performance lubricants and oils from renewable biological sources instead of petroleum.
Programming Cells with Standardized Parts
To engineer cells effectively, synthetic biologists treat DNA as computer code that can be precisely manipulated. They work to develop libraries of standardized biological parts – like promoters, coding sequences, protein domains – that can be combined and reused like Legos to program new functions into cells.
Researchers archive genetic parts in databases and develop standardized interfaces so that biological devices are interchangeable and composable. This "BioBricks" approach aims to transform biology into a true engineering discipline where new systems can be readily assembled from existing standardized building blocks.
Modeling and Testing Biological Circuits
Computer modeling and simulation are important tools in Synthetic Biology. Models help predict how engineered DNA circuits and pathways will function before being physically assembled and tested in cells. Synthetic biologists use modeling to design genetic circuits that behave like logic gates, oscillators, memory devices and simple computers.
Wet lab experiments are then used to test the function of designed DNA circuits in living cells. Researchers analyze cellular outputs like fluorescence or chemical production to determine if the devices worked as intended. Iterative cycles of engineering, modeling, testing and refining help optimize synthetic biological systems for practical applications.
Regulating Synthetic Organisms for Safety
As the power of Synthetic Biology tools increase, safety becomes a major consideration. Researchers need mechanisms to prevent engineered genomes from escaping the lab or combining with natural DNA in unintended and potentially harmful ways.
Some synthetic biologists advocate following biocontainment principles from the outset when designing organisms. This includes incorporating genetic safeguard circuits that disable synthetic DNA functions outside the lab. Regulatory bodies provide oversight and guidelines for evaluating safety risks like unwanted gene transfers from synthetic constructs. With prudent regulation and oversight, perpendicular engineering aims to benefit humanity while minimizing environmental or biological risks.
Synthetic Biology brings together biology, engineering, and computer science to precisely engineer new biological functions and systems. The goal is to turn microbes into programmable cell factories that produce diverse useful products in a standard, modular way. Computer-aided design, standardized genetic parts, and testing of biological circuits in model organisms are key aspects of the emerging field. Careful safety practices and government oversight will help ensure the responsible development of perpendicular engineering for medical and industrial applications that improve lives while preserving environmental protections. As the technology advances, perpendicular engineering has tremendous potential to solve problems in energy, manufacturing, health and more through intelligent re-engineering of natural biological systems.
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