UVa researchers see promise in ‘synthetic biology’

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - The phrase synthetic biology may sound like science fiction, but a small group of biology students at the University of Virginia say this field will play an important role in our lives over the next few years.

Scientists in the field are finding ways to produce cheap anti-malarial drugs, use bacteria to clean up chemical waste and reduce resistance to antibiotic drugs.

In the future, people could be eating vanilla and cheese produced from yeast or using laundry detergent and makeup derived from algae.

Its something were going to see a lot more of, said Tom Moss, a second-year biology major. (And) theres a lot of misconceptions about it.

Moss is in a small group of students and faculty members who organized a recent public meeting on synthetic biology at UVas OpenGrounds building. Their goal is to help the public understand the importance of this field.

Synthetic biology is related to - but not synonymous with - genetic modification. While genetic modification may involve replacing or changing individual genes within an organism, synthetic biology involves far more extensive changes such as completely re-engineering the genomes of microorganisms to create designer proteins or engineer viruses to attack bacteria harmful to humans.

Genetic modification takes more of a top-down approach - it takes an existing genetic circuit and modifies that, said Cara Broshkevitch, a third-year biology student. Synthetic biology takes a bottom-up approach.

Its kind of like putting together Legos, she added. Youre putting together the pieces to create a functional system.

Using this technology, biologists could engineer bacteria that disposes of chemical waste or produces biofuels. It also could lead to the creation of artificial cells that deliver medicine to certain parts of the body more efficiently.

The organisms could come with a genetic kill switch that ensures they die when no longer needed - for example, the bacteria used in spill cleanups could die when exposed to sunlight.

Read the original:
UVa researchers see promise in 'synthetic biology'