In conversation with Nigel Scrutton.

Nigel Scrutton FRS is Professor of Molecular Enzymology and Biophysical Chemistry at the University of Manchester and former Director of the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB). He obtained a first degree in Biochemistry from King's College London and followed this with a PhD at the University of Cambridge. His doctoral research, undertaken in Richard Perham's laboratory, yielded fundamental breakthroughs in enzyme redesign that have stood the test of time. Nigel was awarded a ScD degree by the University of Cambridge in 2003. After faculty positions at the University of Leicester, Nigel was appointed Professor at the University of Manchester in 2005. Over the last 15 years, he has cemented his reputation as a world leader in the fields of enzyme engineering and biocatalysis, synthetic biology, biophysics and biomanufacturing, notably by establishing and directing the Synthetic Biology Research Centre 'SYNBIOCHEM' and UK Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub. In recognition of his scientific contributions, he has received many academic awards and accolades, including being elected as Fellow of the Royal Society earlier this year. In this interview, he highlights how fundamental studies of enzymatic catalysis and mechanisms are driving key advances in biotechnology and biomanufacturing, and describes how the experiences and mentors of his formative years helped to shape his successful career at the interface between discovery and application-focused science.

[The eradication of infectious viral diseases endangered by advances in synthetic biology]. / L'éradication des maladies infectieuses virales mise en danger par les avancées de la biologie synthétique.

The eradication of infectious diseases is one of the oldest dreams of mankind. It has been materialized only once in History with smallpox in 1980. Considerable efforts are being developed against poliomyelitis viruses since 1988, but the ultimate goal of eradication is not yet achieved. Paradoxically, while the objective of having eradicated these two viral diseases is approaching, synthetic biology multiplies the prowesses of virus "neosynthesis", imperiling at least virtually the durability of these advances. This article emphasizes the potential of a new biology on one side, and the difficult reality of the fight against infections on the other.

Creating life and the media: translations and echoes.

Synthetic biology is the engineering view on biotechnology that ultimately aims at fulfilling the quest of building an artificial cell. From the very first attempts of synthesizing life, this subject has made an impact on the media through, very often, misleading headlines and news. We review here the historical journalistic approach on synthetic biology and related disciplines, from the early twentieth century to the lastest achievements on designing protocells or genome reduction. However, it would be very naive to consider the research community and the media to be unidirectionally linked, with the latter being mere displayers (and disrupters) of the research "reality". On the contrary, the research community has also received a strong influence from the media, as evidenced by statements from researchers, common metaphors and, even, a trend to unconsciously develop shared techno-social paradigms. We conclude that, beyond overstatements from researchers and journalists' misunderstandings, both communities provide strong feedback to each other and, together, contribute to define the dream that synthetic biologists are aiming for.

Angels and Devils: Dilemmas in Dual-Use Biotechnology.

Dual-use research, which results in knowledge that can be used for both good and ill, has become increasingly accessible in the internet age to both scientists and the general public. Here, we outline some major milestones for dual-use policy and present three vignettes that highlight contemporary dual-use issues in biotechnology.

[Do-it-yourself biology and medicine: history, practices, issues]. / Biologie et médecine « do-it-yourself ¼ - Histoire, pratiques, enjeux.

Do-it-yourself (DIY) biology and medicine are based on various practices and logics: amateur and DIY practices, the ethics of hacking and open source, the drive to domesticate molecular biology and genetics, the ideal of participation and citizen science. The article shows that this democratization is a process that is at once spatial (construction of new spaces), technical (creative workarounds equipment), social (establishment of accessible networks/laboratories) and political. It is therefore through their practices, gestures and questions - tinkering, experimenting, working around, amaterializing, ethicizing, comparing, valuating, etc. - that we need to grasp DIY sciences.

Biologia sintética aplicada na agropecuária, química e farmácia: uma revisão / Synthetic biology applied in agriculture, chemistry and pharmacy: a review / Biología sintética aplicada en la agropecuaria, química y farmacia: una revisión

A biologia sintética é uma ciência que está crescendo em estudos de pesquisas devido à capacidade que tem de criar organismos e micro-organismos vivos que produzam uma função que naturalmente não realizam. Pesquisadores têm se mostrado eficientes na criação de genes em laboratórios por meio do código da vida e sintetizadores, padronizando genomas com um determinado fim. A agronomia, química e farmácia têm sido as grandes áreas que essa ciência vem sendo desenvolvida. Portanto, o presente estudo teve como objetivo realizar uma pesquisa bibliográfica relatando alguns desenvolvimentos produzidos pelos pesquisadores das áreas afins. Com a biologia sintética foi possível a utilização de bactérias contra células cancerígenas, bactérias que produz biocombustível, assim como antibióticos produzidos por bactérias, entre outros.(AU)

The number of research studies in synthetic biology is increasing due to its capacity of creating live organisms and micro-organisms that can produce features that are not naturally produced. Researchers have been efficient in creating genes in laboratory through the code of life and synthesizers, standardizing genomes for a given purpose. Agriculture, chemistry and pharmacy have been the main areas developed by this science. Therefore, this study had the purpose of performing a literature review reporting some of the developments produced by researchers in the correlated areas. Synthetic biology enabled the use of bacteria against cancer cells, bacteria that can produce biofuel, as well as bacteria-produced antibiotics, among others.(AU)

La biología sintética es una ciencia que está creciendo en estudios de investigación debido a la capacidad que tiene de crear organismos y microorganismos vivos que produzcan una función que naturalmente no realizan. Investigadores se han mostrado eficientes en la creación de genes en laboratorios a través del código de la vida y sintetizadores, estandarizando genomas con un determinado fin. La agronomía, química y farmacia han sido las grandes áreas que esta ciencia viene siendo desarrollada. Por lo tanto, el presente estudio tuvo como objetivo realizar una investigación bibliográfica relatando algunos desarrollos producidos por los investigadores de las áreas afines. Con la biología sintética fue posible el uso de bacterias contra células cancerígenas, bacterias que producen biocombustibles, así como antibióticos producidos por bacterias, entre otros.(AU)

The Engineer?s Take on Biology : The Godfather of Synthetic Biology Watched the Field Evolve and Continues to Expect Big Things.

Tom Knight may laugh when someone calls him the ?godfather of synthetic biology,? but his ideas have helped spur a worldwide movement to look at biology with an engineer?s eye.

Synthetic biology. A tribute to S. Leduc (1853-1939, Nantes, France) and an Answer to the Return of Vitalism.

A very large number of articles about vitalism have been published since 1894 in the journal Science. Vitalism is a theory according to which living organisms appear to possess something more than inanimate objects. The "vital principle" is minted in 1778 by Barthez in "Les nouveaux éléments de la science de l'homme", (Stahl talks of phlogiston for chemistry). In their view, the life of the whole is not the simple sum of the life of the components. Such a view was hatched in response to the Cartesian mechanist interpretation of living matter as proposed by Galileo and Descartes. Vitalist intuition was revived in the XXth century by new researchers such as Henri Bergson ("l'élan vital" or 'vital force') in France and Hans Driesch ("entelechy") in Germany. Could this view of life now be making a comeback in biology?

Is synthetic biology mechanical biology?

A widespread and influential characterization of synthetic biology emphasizes that synthetic biology is the application of engineering principles to living systems. Furthermore, there is a strong tendency to express the engineering approach to organisms in terms of what seems to be an ontological claim: organisms are machines. In the paper I investigate the ontological and heuristic significance of the machine analogy in synthetic biology. I argue that the use of the machine analogy and the aim of producing rationally designed organisms does not necessarily imply a commitment to mechanical biology. The ideal of applying engineering principles to biology is best understood as expressing recognition of the machine-unlikeness of natural organisms and the limits of human cognition. The paper suggests an interpretation of the identification of organisms with machines in synthetic biology according to which it expresses a strategy for representing, understanding, and constructing living systems that are more machine-like than natural organisms.

Impacto de la biología sintética sobre el derecho de patentes a la luz de la jurisprudencia europea / No disponible

Las raíces de la biología sintética -el rediseño de moléculas biológicas, estructuras y organismos- pueden encontrarse en la investigación realizada por Jacques L. MONOD y François JACOB en 1961. Este campo ha experimentado un crecimiento significativo en los últimos diez años, y su aparición cuestiona la idoneidad del sistema de patentes para proteger las invenciones derivadas de tecnologías emergentes como la propia biología sintética. El artículo analiza los numerosos desafíos científicos, socioeconómicos, éticos y jurídicos que presenta la biología sintética. Además se introduce el sistema europeo de patentes relacionado con la biotecnología como marco legal para regular la protección de las invenciones de la biología sintética. También se consideran si son necesarios más cambios para proteger de manera adecuada los derechos de los inventores, en el contexto de la llegada de una nueva cultura investigadora, caracterizada por la innovación abierta y las iniciativas de código abierto (open-source). La discusión resume algunos de los casos más importantes en el ámbito de las patentes biotecnológicas, así como algunas de las cuestiones legales planteadas, como la patentabilidad de las secuencias gen éticas, de acuerdo a la Directiva 98/44/CE. Por último, el artículo considera el impacto de la biología sintética en el sistema de patentes europeo (AU)

The roots of synthetic biology -the redesign of biological molecules, structures and organisms- can be traced to the research developed by Jacques L. MONOD and François JACOB in 1961. This field has undergone significant growth in the past ten years and its emergence has raised the question of whether the patent system is suitable to protect inventions in emergent areas as synthetic biology. The article will analyze the numerous scientific, socio-economic, ethical and legal challenges faced by synthetic biology, introducing the European Patent Law related to biotechnology as the minimum common framework and considering if more changes are needed to adequately protect the inventor rights, while taking into account the arrival of a new research culture, characterized by embracing open-innovation and open-source initiatives. The discussion will review some biotechnological patent law cases and summarize questions as whether isolated molecules of DNA are eligible for patent or the patentability of fiving matter, under the terms of Directive 98/44/EC. The article will finally consider the impact of synthetic biology on the European patent system (AU)

Integrating biological redesign: where synthetic biology came from and where it needs to go.

Synthetic biology seeks to extend approaches from engineering and computation to redesign of biology, with goals such as generating new chemicals, improving human health, and addressing environmental issues. Early on, several guiding principles of synthetic biology were articulated, including design according to specification, separation of design from fabrication, use of standardized biological parts and organisms, and abstraction. We review the utility of these principles over the past decade in light of the field's accomplishments in building complex systems based on microbial transcription and metabolism and describe the progress in mammalian cell engineering.

A brief history of synthetic biology.

The ability to rationally engineer microorganisms has been a long-envisioned goal dating back more than a half-century. With the genomics revolution and rise of systems biology in the 1990s came the development of a rigorous engineering discipline to create, control and programme cellular behaviour. The resulting field, known as synthetic biology, has undergone dramatic growth throughout the past decade and is poised to transform biotechnology and medicine. This Timeline article charts the technological and cultural lifetime of synthetic biology, with an emphasis on key breakthroughs and future challenges.