As this release shows, the field of
synthetic biology has found its feet; the level of recognition, support, collaboration and ongoing work has risen to the level at which
centers are being founded. "Funded by a five-year, $16 million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center, or SynBERC, is gathering pioneers in the field of synthetic biology from around the United States ... Synthetic biology is the design and construction of new biological entities such as
enzymes, genetic circuits and cells, or the redesign of existing biological systems. The field builds upon advances in molecular, cell and
systems biology and seeks to transform biology in the same way that
synthesis transformed chemistry and that
integrated circuit design transformed computing." To me, the significance of this field lies in the new capabilities that could be directed to repair
age-related cellular damage in our existing biology.
Protofection - replacement of
age-damaged mitochondria - is an early example of this sort of capability. We'll be seeing much more in the years ahead.
View the Article Under Discussion:
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2006/08/03_SynBerc.shtml
Read More Longevity Meme Commentary:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/