Synthetic biology is the convergence of advances in chemistry, biology, computer science, and engineering that enables us to go from idea to product faster, cheaper, and with greater precision than ever before. A community of experts across many disciplines is coming together to create these new foundations for many industries, including medicine, energy and the environment.
MEDICAL APPLICATIONS
Synthetic circuits and pathways can be used for the controlled delivery of drugs as well as for gene and metabolic therapy. In some cases, sophisticated, kinetic control over drug release in the body may yield therapeutic advantages and reduce undesired side effects. Most hormones in the body are released in time-dependent pulses. Glucocorticoid secretion, for instance, has a circadian and ultradian pattern of release, with important transcriptional consequences for glucocorticoid-responsive cells. These mimic these patterns in the administration of synthetic hormones to patients with glucocorticoid-responsive diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, may decrease known side effects and improve therapeutic response.
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Recent advances in the development of genetic tools and in silico predictive capacity have facilitated the characterization and manipulation of algal genomes in the effort to develop designed algal biofuel production strains. Depending on the properties of fuel desired, microalgae have potential for producing lipids for conversion into biodiesel, for hydrogen production, and even as a source of ethanol; and several advances have been made to improve yields in each of these approaches. Algae can also produce complex hydrocarbons, for example terpenoids, which are useful both as biofuel additives and as valuable coproducts that could bolster the economic feasibility of the emerging algal biofuels industry.
COMPUTING APPLICATIONS
A biological computer refers to an engineered biological system that can perform computer-like operations, which is a dominant paradigm in synthetic biology. Researchers built and characterised a variety of logic gates in a number of organisms, and demonstrated both analogue and digital computation in living cells. They demonstrated that bacteria can be engineered to perform both analogue and/or digital computation. In human cells research demonstrated a universal logic evaluate that operates in mammalian cells in 2007. Subsequently, researchers utilised this paradigm to demonstrate a proof-of-concept therapy that uses biological digital computation to detect and kill human cancer cells in 2011.
BIO-SENSING
A biosensor refers to an engineered organism, usually a bacterium, that is capable of reporting some ambient phenomenon such as the presence of heavy metals or toxins. One such system is the Lux operon of Aliivibrio fischeri, which codes for the enzyme that is the source of bacterial bio luminous, and can be placed after a respondent promoter to express the luminescence genes in response to a specific environmental stimulus. One such sensor created consisted of a bio luminescent bacterial coating on a photosensitive computer chip to detect certain petroleum pollutants. When the bacteria sense the pollutant, they luminescence.
Pharma and Biotech Advances 