--- title: Synthetic Biology description: Synthetic biology applies engineering principles to design and construct new biological parts, devices, and systems. Learners will understand how to redesign existing natural biological systems to produce biofuels, pharmaceuticals, and novel materials. category: sciences subcategory: biotechnology difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced url: /subject/synthetic-biology --- # Synthetic Biology Synthetic biology applies engineering principles to design and construct new biological parts, devices, and systems. Learners will understand how to redesign existing natural biological systems to produce biofuels, pharmaceuticals, and novel materials. ## Available Resources 2 Books • 2 Courses • 4 Websites ## Websites ### 1. OpenWetWare Community wiki where academic biology labs publish protocols, open notebooks, course materials and group pages. Useful for finding a working bench protocol and seeing how synthetic biology groups document their day-to-day methods. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://openwetware.org/ **Tags:** lab protocols, open science, synthetic biology, molecular biology, wiki ### 2. synbiobeta.com SynBioBeta is a media and events platform for the synthetic biology community, offering news and analysis, startup profiles, and information on conferences, funding, and industry resources. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://synbiobeta.com **Tags:** websites, engineering-manufacturing, biotechnology ### 3. syntheticbiology.org Syntheticbiology.org is a central resource hub for learning about synthetic biology, offering introductory explanations, educational materials, and news and policy updates about the field. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://syntheticbiology.org **Tags:** websites, engineering-manufacturing, biotechnology ### 4. igem.org iGEM.org is the official site for the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition in synthetic biology. It provides project showcases, the Registry of Standard Biological Parts, tutorials and educational resources, team information, and event details like the annual Jamboree. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://igem.org **Tags:** websites, science-research, biology ## Courses ### 1. Introduction to Biological Engineering Design (MIT 20.020) **Author:** Natalie Kuldell, Andrew Endy Project-based introduction to engineering synthetic biological systems: prokaryotic and eukaryotic control, DNA synthesis, standard parts and abstraction, plus biosafety, security, intellectual property and ethics. Provides lecture slides, short tutorial videos and example student projects for designing biology-based solutions to real problems. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/20-020-introduction-to-biological-engineering-design-spring-2009/ **Tags:** synthetic-biology, biological-engineering, genetic-circuits, dna-synthesis, bioethics ### 2. Foundations of Computational and Systems Biology (MIT 7.91J) **Author:** Christopher Burge, David Gifford, Ernest Fraenkel Computational biology fundamentals: nucleic acid and protein sequence alignment, motif finding, structural modeling and prediction, and network models of biological systems. Includes 22 lecture videos, slides, programming assignments and projects, preparing learners to apply algorithms to genomic and protein data. **Difficulty:** Advanced | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/7-91j-foundations-of-computational-and-systems-biology-spring-2014/ **Tags:** computational-biology, sequence-alignment, motif-finding, protein-structure-prediction, network-modeling, systems-biology ## Podcasts ### 1. SynBio Podcast **Author:** iGEM The iGEM Foundation's podcast platform, where students and researchers discuss synthetic biology projects, ethics, and careers. Listening gives you a sense of how the field is practiced and what problems current teams are working on. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** en-us | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://igem.fm/ **Tags:** synthetic biology, iGEM, science communication, biotechnology careers ## Books ### 1. Synthetic Biology: A Primer **Author:** Paul S. Freemont, Richard I. Kitney An Imperial College Press overview aimed at final-year undergraduates and researchers, covering the molecular biology and engineering foundations of the field and contrasting bottom-up with top-down design approaches. Readers finish able to follow current synthetic biology literature. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/1848168632?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, engineering-manufacturing, biotechnology ### 2. Synthetic Biology Handbook **Author:** Darren N. Nesbeth An edited CRC Press volume in which specialists survey the field's major goals and the technical state of the art, from parts and chassis design to industrial biomanufacturing. Useful for readers who already know the basics and want depth. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/146656847X?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, engineering-manufacturing, biotechnology --- *This content is part of Dantes.io - Your Treasure Map to Knowledge* *Curated by humans at Dantes.io. Personal study use welcome; republishing this curation requires permission (team@dantes.io).* View this page online: https://dantes.io/subject/synthetic-biology