Application of genome engineering in medical synthetic biology.

Author: Fangyuan WANG ¹ ; Dehua ZHAO ² ; Lei Stanley QI ²
Author Information

1. Sino-U.S. Center of Synthetic Biology, Shanghai Institute of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200127, China.
2. Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA.
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: CRISPR; CRISPRi; TALEN; ZFN; cell design lab; gene circuit; genome editing; synthetic biology
From: Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2017;33(3):422-435
CountryChina
Language:Chinese
Abstract: Synthetic biology aims to establish a complete set of engineering principles, theories, and methods, via the rational design and assembly of basic biological parts, for the goal of effective implementation of complex biological systems with programmable functions. In recent years, with emerging novel classes of programmable genetic parts, in particular, the establishment and optimization of CRISPR and CRISPRi technology platforms, synthetic biology is entering a new era. This review summarizes recent advances on CRISPR genome editing and gene regulation technologies, their applications in constructing programmable biological parts, and their roles in building sophisticated gene circuits. We also provide a future vision on how synthetic biology can transform medicine (named medical synthetic biology, MSB) and therapeutics.