Synthetic Biology
Synthetic biology treats biological systems as engineerable: DNA sequences as code, proteins as functional modules, and metabolic pathways as circuits. It applies the same abstraction hierarchy as software engineering — parts (individual DNA elements), devices (functional cassettes), and systems (full engineered pathways) — to build biological functionality from scratch.
Parts, Devices, Systems
A part is a minimal functional DNA element: a promoter, ribosome binding site, coding sequence, or terminator. A device combines parts into a functional unit: a gene expression cassette for one biosynthesis enzyme. A system combines devices: a full five-gene capsaicin pathway cassette with a metabolic flux sensor controlling expression.
Design-Build-Test-Learn
Unlike classical genetics (discover-then-understand), synthetic biology follows an engineering cycle: design computationally (FBA, ESM2 scoring), build (DNA synthesis, transformation), test (HPLC, IFI validation), learn (compare to model predictions, update models, redesign). Each iteration improves both the construct and the predictive models.