Difference between revisions of "Team:Austin UTexas/Practices"

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== Human Practices ==
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= Human Practices =
  
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Synthetic biology has numerous applications in fields such as energy and medicine. In order for a genetically enhanced organism to perform its desired function reliably, the relevant genes must persist through multiple generations. If we can identify DNA sequences that are prone to genetic instability, we can develop ways to avoid them and consequently improve stability. By improving stabile devices we can also help biosynthetic companies become safer and help save economic costs on their product. This issue of stability in devices on its own will help move the synthetic biology field forward, which will in turn help with society.
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Synthetic biology has numerous applications in fields such as energy and medicine (Ferry 2012). '''In order for a genetically enhanced organism to perform its desired function reliably, the relevant genes must persist through multiple generations.''' If we can identify DNA sequences that are prone to genetic instability, we can develop ways to avoid them and consequently improve stability. By improving the stability of devices we can help biotechnology companies operate more safely and produce their products more cheaply. This issue of stability in devices on its own will help move the synthetic biology field forward, which will in turn help society as a whole. Because synthetic biology has applications in key industries such as energy and medicine, solving the issue of stability would not only be a crucial contribution to the field of synthetic biology, it would also have significant implications for the economy, the quality of patient care, and society as a whole.
  
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Our project was designed to maintain the genetic stability of our genetically engineered fluorescence protein. We believe that our work will impact the medical industry by creating DNA sequences that have the ability to control gene expression and not experience a significant amount of mutations in its sequence. This achievement will reduce the cost of creating synthetic medicine in the research field. Our project can be implemented in the medical field, where stable proteins are required for specific synthetic medicines. According to The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Trinity College and University of Dublin, protein scientists find themselves in situations where fragments of a certain protein molecule exhibit higher instability than the remaining part, which can be caused by various reasons. While forming the basic amino acid structures needed to create insulin, they encountered stability issues with amino acid cysteine. Since the amino acid cysteine developed multiple mutations, it was difficult for the scientists to produce their final product, insulin. In these types of situations, our project could be a key resource for how to maintain the genetic stability within various proteins.
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Our project was designed to test and improve the genetic stability of genetically engineered fluorescence proteins as a model for other systems such as therapeutic proteins and metabolic pathways. We believe that our work will impact the medical industry by creating DNA sequences that have the ability to maintain gene expression in probiotic bacteria without experiencing significant rates of failure mutations that make these organisms perform less predictably. The field of medicine is not the only industry that needs stable genes. For instance, the continued depletion of nonrenewable energy sources has created a demand for novel energy sources. While synthetic biology offers one possible solution, its viability is hindered as a result of genetic instability. Since the evolutionary process continues even after an organism is genetically engineered to produce biofuel precursors, the genetic device is at risk. Producing the necessary molecules requires energy and carbon from the cells, which can diminish a cell’s fitness, breaking the genetic circuit. However, the development of a more stable genetic device could lead to a robust method of biofuel production and help alleviate the fuel crisis.
  
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The field of medicine is not the only industry that needs stable genes. For instance, the continued depletion of nonrenewable energy sources has created a demand for novel energy sources. While synthetic biology offers one possible solution, its viability is hindered as a result of genetic instability. Since the evolutionary process continues even after an organism is genetically engineered to produce biofuel precursors, the genetic device is at risk. Producing the necessary molecules requires energy and carbon from the cells, which can diminish a cell’s fitness, breaking the genetic circuit. However, the development of a more stable genetic device could lead to a robust method of biofuel production and help alleviate the fuel crisis.
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By creating and using these genetically stable circuits, many companies can save time and money when developing synthetic products. For example, Amyris, a company specializing in synthetic biology products, spent $33,202,000 in 2014 to make their biosynthetic models (Amyris 2014). Companies such as this invest millions on genetic devises to make their products, therefore if these genetic devices are unstable then the company will lose a lot of money. Along with big companies, research labs working in this field would benefit in the same way if their devices lasted longer. Making synthetic biology more cost effective and efficient makes the expansion of using synthetic biology to help society greater.
  
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By creating and using these genetically stable circuits, many companies can save time and money when developing synthetic products. For example, Amyris a company specializing in synthetic biology products spent $33,202,000 in 2014 to make their biosynthetic models. Companies such as this invest millions on genetic devises to make their products, therefore if these genetic devices are unstable then the company will lose a lot of money. Along with big companies, research labs working in this field would benefit in the same way if their devices lasted a longer time. Making synthetic biology more cost effective and efficient makes the expansion of using synthetic biology to help society greater.
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The advancements in this project can be taken to a global level, where the production of many biosynthetic devices/products can be improved dramatically, efficiently, and cost effectively. Using small biological systems to create useful products is not only fast but is also less expensive when compared to conventional manufacturing. When it comes to fixing Third World problems in a cost effective and timely manner, synthetic biology could be the answer. However, synthetic biology can only be helpful if the devices we make can perform for a long period of time. '''The issue of stability needs to be addressed and solved for the betterment of society and the future of science.'''
  
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Even though genes are evolving through mutations, it is interesting that the UT iGEM team has developed a method to build stable genetic circuits, which do not allow for many mutations to take place in the sequence. This project can be taken to a global level, where the production of many biosynthetic devices/ products can be improved dramatically, efficiently, and cost effectively. Using small biological systems to create useful products is not only fast but is also less expensive when compared to conventional manufacturing. When it comes to fixing Third World problems in a cost effective and timely manner, synthetic biology could be the answer. However, synthetic biology can only be helpful if the devices we make can perform for a long period of time. The issue of stability needs to be addressed and solved for the betterment of society and the future of science.
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== References ==
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* Ferry, M.S., Hasty, J., Cookson, N.A. (2012) Synthetic biology approaches to biofuel production. ''Biofuels'' '''3''': 9-12.
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* Amyris. 2014 Annual Report, December 31st, 2014. Web. September 10th, 2015.
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=== Works Cited ===
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Ferry, Michael S., Jeff Hasty, and Natalie A. Cookson. "Synthetic biology approaches to biofuel production." Biofuels 3.1 (2012): 9-12.
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Kamionka, Mariusz. "Engineering of therapeutic proteins production in Escherichia coli." Current pharmaceutical biotechnology 12.2 (2011): 268.
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Amyris. 2014 Annual Report, December 31st, 2014. Web. September 10th, 2015.
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"Gene Therapy." Fatbuster: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The IGEM Foundation. Web. 10 Sept. 2015.  
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Revision as of 21:28, 18 September 2015

Human Practices

Synthetic biology has numerous applications in fields such as energy and medicine (Ferry 2012). In order for a genetically enhanced organism to perform its desired function reliably, the relevant genes must persist through multiple generations. If we can identify DNA sequences that are prone to genetic instability, we can develop ways to avoid them and consequently improve stability. By improving the stability of devices we can help biotechnology companies operate more safely and produce their products more cheaply. This issue of stability in devices on its own will help move the synthetic biology field forward, which will in turn help society as a whole. Because synthetic biology has applications in key industries such as energy and medicine, solving the issue of stability would not only be a crucial contribution to the field of synthetic biology, it would also have significant implications for the economy, the quality of patient care, and society as a whole.

Our project was designed to test and improve the genetic stability of genetically engineered fluorescence proteins as a model for other systems such as therapeutic proteins and metabolic pathways. We believe that our work will impact the medical industry by creating DNA sequences that have the ability to maintain gene expression in probiotic bacteria without experiencing significant rates of failure mutations that make these organisms perform less predictably. The field of medicine is not the only industry that needs stable genes. For instance, the continued depletion of nonrenewable energy sources has created a demand for novel energy sources. While synthetic biology offers one possible solution, its viability is hindered as a result of genetic instability. Since the evolutionary process continues even after an organism is genetically engineered to produce biofuel precursors, the genetic device is at risk. Producing the necessary molecules requires energy and carbon from the cells, which can diminish a cell’s fitness, breaking the genetic circuit. However, the development of a more stable genetic device could lead to a robust method of biofuel production and help alleviate the fuel crisis.

By creating and using these genetically stable circuits, many companies can save time and money when developing synthetic products. For example, Amyris, a company specializing in synthetic biology products, spent $33,202,000 in 2014 to make their biosynthetic models (Amyris 2014). Companies such as this invest millions on genetic devises to make their products, therefore if these genetic devices are unstable then the company will lose a lot of money. Along with big companies, research labs working in this field would benefit in the same way if their devices lasted longer. Making synthetic biology more cost effective and efficient makes the expansion of using synthetic biology to help society greater.

The advancements in this project can be taken to a global level, where the production of many biosynthetic devices/products can be improved dramatically, efficiently, and cost effectively. Using small biological systems to create useful products is not only fast but is also less expensive when compared to conventional manufacturing. When it comes to fixing Third World problems in a cost effective and timely manner, synthetic biology could be the answer. However, synthetic biology can only be helpful if the devices we make can perform for a long period of time. The issue of stability needs to be addressed and solved for the betterment of society and the future of science.

References

  • Ferry, M.S., Hasty, J., Cookson, N.A. (2012) Synthetic biology approaches to biofuel production. Biofuels 3: 9-12.
  • Amyris. 2014 Annual Report, December 31st, 2014. Web. September 10th, 2015.