“We have now moved to the second wave of biotech which is the ability to order custom DNA, buy it online and get it delivered to you,” said James Brown, a PhD student studying synthetic biology.
“We’re at the point of asking can we develop a language and set of fundamental engineering tools that we can apply to biology in the same way we do in mechanical or electrical engineering?”
In the same way that standardised screw threads helped engineering bloom, so the push to create standard biological parts that can be bolted together could kickstart a revolution in biology.
“What defines synthetic biology is not just identifying genes and switches and other elements but piecing them together into devices,” said Mr Brown. “It’s about how we might think about putting them in a cell and almost programming behaviour.”
Also, he said, being able to create plants that produce seeds so medicines can be grown rather than made could completely change the economics of drug production.
via BBC News – Tech Know: Life hacking with 3D printing and DIY DNA kits. By Mark Ward, March 31, 2010.
Also reminds me about the Open Prosthetics Project.
