What is Reddit's opinion of SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY - A PRIMER?

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Yea sure. It’s a multidisciplinary field at the moment so we have almost as many computer scientists, Physicists and engineers as we do molecular biologists/ geneticists.

I’d recommend ‘synthetic biology - a primer’ as a first book:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Synthetic-Biology-Paul-S-Freemont/dp/1848168632/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1550177278&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=synthetic+biology+a+primer&dpPl=1&dpID=41xiiA-mjkL&ref=plSrch

Syn bio uses waterfall and agile approaches which are basically development life cycles. The waterfall approach for example proceeds as (1) system requirements, (2) design, (3) modelling, (4) synthesis, (5) assembly, (6) Transformation/implementation and (7) validation.

(2) and (3) use a lot of computer based skills such as computer assisted design (CAD) with standards such as SBOL (for 2), and computer assisted modelling (CAM) which includes the use of computer languages such as python and R (for 3). CAM also includes using markup languages such as SBML which is a good place to start with programmatic modelling.

(4), (5) and (6) are more molecular biology and genetic engineering based in terms of the practical sense. (4) Synthesis is very chemistry and physics based and there are separate companies that do this - we usually order our DNA from a synthesis company and then clone it to make loads for testing as it’s expensive . (5) is about assembling the DNA parts into modules and devices using methods such as Gibson assembly, golden gate assembly or BioBrick standards (which is an OG method developed by Tom Knight at MIT http://parts.igem.org/Assembly:Standard_assembly). (6) is about ‘installing’ the assembled DNA into the chosen cell chassis (cell fee systems are also up and coming) to install said function as a means of fulfilling the system requirements. (7) is about characterising your system to check it works and look for improvements.

There are loads of ways to apply yourself be it in the lab, on a computer or both. The book does a really good job in introducing you to the above so that you’re aware of how to do 1 through to 7 (except maybe 4). Ofc applying the skills is a whole other story (lab protocols and actually coding skills) but that comes with practise.