Design of Synthetic Gene-Metabolic Circuits.

The design approach in engineering has created industrial revolution and modern civilization. The basis of design is the understanding of key principles underlying the system of interest. Such an approach has not been explored in biology until recently. While much remained unknown in the cell, key functional paradigms and many molecular components have been extensively characterized. The design approach can now be used in the cell to explore possible applications of biological components beyond their natural configurations, much like the design of analog computers using well characterized modules. In addition, the design approach provides an alternative method to explore design principles used by nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]