Written primarily for mid-to-upper level undergraduates, this primer will introduce students to topics at the forefront of the subject that are being applied to probe biological problems, or to address the most pressing issues facing society. These topics will include those that form thecornerstone of contemporary research, helping students to make the transition to active researcher.This primer introduces the challenges and opportunities of applying synthetic biological techniques to mammalian cells, tissues, and organisms. It covers the special features that make engineering mammalian systems different from engineering bacteria, fungi, and plants, and provides an overview ofcurrent techniques. A variety of cutting-edge examples illustrate the different purposes of mammalian synthetic biology, including pure biomedical research, drug production, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine.

Many potential applications of synthetic and systems biology are relevant to the challenges associated with the detection, surveillance, and responses to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. On March 14 and 15, 2011, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Forum on Microbial Threats convened a public workshop in Washington, DC, to explore the current state of the science of synthetic biology, including its dependency on systems biology; discussed the different approaches that scientists are taking to engineer, or reengineer, biological systems; and discussed how the tools and approaches of synthetic and systems biology were being applied to mitigate the risks associated with emerging infectious diseases. The Science and Applications of Synthetic and Systems Biology is organized into sections as a topic-by-topic distillation of the presentations and discussions that took place at the workshop. Its purpose is to present information from relevant experience, to delineate a range of pivotal issues and their respective challenges, and to offer differing perspectives on the topic as discussed and described by the workshop participants. This report also includes a collection of individually authored papers and commentary.

The emergent field of synthetic biology is different from many other biological engineering efforts, in that its roots, design principles, and forward engineering perspective have been adopted from electrical engineering and computer science. Synthetic biology is uniquely poised to make great contributions to numerous fields such as bio-fuel, energy production, agriculture and eco-remediation, national defense, and biomedical and tissue engineering. Considerable progress has been made in engineering novel genetic circuits in many different organisms. However, not much progress has been made toward developing a formal methodology to engineer complex genetic systems in mammalian cells. One of the most promising areas of research is the study of embryonic and adult stem cells. Synthetic biology has the potential to greatly impact the progression and development of research in this area of study. A critical impediment to the development of stem cell engineering is the innate complexity, little to no characterization of parts, and limited compositional predictive capabilities. In this thesis, I discuss the strategies used for constructing and optimizing the performance of signaling pathways, the development of a large mammalian genetic part and circuit library, and the characterization and implementation of novel genetic parts and components aimed at developing a foundation for mammalian synthetic biology. I have designed and tested several orthogonal strategies aimed at cell-cell communication in mammalian cells. I have designed a characterization framework for the complete and proper characterization of genetic parts that allows for modular predictive composition of genetic circuits. With this characterization framework I have generated a small library of characterized parts and composite circuits that have well defined input-output relationships that can be used in novel genetic architectures. I also aided in the development of novel analysis and computational tools necessary for accurate predictive composition of these novel circuits. This work collectively provides a foundation for engineering complex intracellular transcriptional networks and intercellular signaling systems in mammalian cells.

This volume explores the latest engineering methods of mammalian cells that are useful for controlling the performance of engineered mammalian cells for future cell-based therapeutics and for better understanding of complex biological systems. The chapters in this book are organized into five parts. Part One described methods to engineer mammalian cells to sense biologically relevant inputs, such as cell contacts and soluble proteins. Part Two looks at techniques to engineer mammalian cells to sense artificial inputs, such as light and ultrasound. Part Three provides cutting-edge CRISPR-Cas-based methods to carry out highly multiplexed genome editing and spatiotemporally controlled genome editing. Part Four discusses ways to control and engineer biological events in mammalian cells in combination with chemical compounds and systems. Part Five explores techniques to engineer specific mammalian cells in targeted manners. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Comprehensive and authoritative, Mammalian Cell Engineering: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource that allows scientists to successfully carry out their research, thus ultimately contributing to the future advancement of this field.

Synthetic biology combines science and engineering in order to design, build and test novel biological functions and systems. As with any multi-disciplinary field, there is a rapidly-growing body of literature concerning synthetic biology and locating the best information or identifying the hottest topics can be time-consuming. This volume captures the expanding primary literature in the form of critical and comprehensive reviews providing the reader with an authoritative digest of the latest developments in this emerging field. Each chapter strives to highlight the most recent findings in specific sub-areas and reviews research reports that were published over the last two to three years. Leading researchers draw material from both dedicated journals and broader sources, revising traditional concepts in light of emerging discoveries while keeping up with recent progress, making this an essential reference to any library supporting this research.

Scientific advances over the past several decades have accelerated the ability to engineer existing organisms and to potentially create novel ones not found in nature. Synthetic biology, which collectively refers to concepts, approaches, and tools that enable the modification or creation of biological organisms, is being pursued overwhelmingly for beneficial purposes ranging from reducing the burden of disease to improving agricultural yields to remediating pollution. Although the contributions synthetic biology can make in these and other areas hold great promise, it is also possible to imagine malicious uses that could threaten U.S. citizens and military personnel. Making informed decisions about how to address such concerns requires a realistic assessment of the capabilities that could be misused. Biodefense in the Age of Synthetic Biology explores and envisions potential misuses of synthetic biology. This report develops a framework to guide an assessment of the security concerns related to advances in synthetic biology, assesses the levels of concern warranted for such advances, and identifies options that could help mitigate those concerns.