Synthetic biology involves the rational design and construction of biological components and systemsfrom genetic elements and metabolic pathways to entirely new organisms. Progress in this field has been rapid, and it promises to significantly expand our capabilities in biotechnology, medicine, and agriculture.

Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology examines the tools and techniques employed by synthetic biologists, how these may be used to develop new drugs, diagnostic approaches, food sources, and clean energy, and what the field of synthetic biology has taught us about natural living systems. The contributors discuss advances in DNA synthesis and assembly, genome editing (e.g., CRISPR/Cas9), and artificial genetic systems. Progress in designing complex genetic switches and circuits, expanding the genetic code, modifying cellular organization, producing proteins using cell-free systems, and developing biodesign automation tools is also covered.

The authors also explore ways to produce new organisms and products that have particular attributesfor example, microbial "molecular factories," synthetic organs and tissues, and plants with novel traits. This volume is an essential resource for molecular, cell, and systems biologists who seek to engineer living systems for human benefit.

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Genome Editing Technologies: Principles and Applications
Jia Liu, Shannon J. Sirk, and Thomas Gaj

Alternative Watson-Crick Synthetic Genetic Systems
Steven A. Benner, Nilesh B. Karalka, Shuichi Hoshika, Roberto Laos, Ryan W. Shaw, Mariko Matsuura, Diego Fajardo, and Patricia Moussatche

Synthetic Biology for Cell and Organ Transplantation
Sean Stevens

Review on DNA synthesis and assembly approaches
Andy Ellington, Randall Hughes, & Christopher Yellen

Bacteriophage engineering
Drew Endy

Engineering Gene Circuits for Mammalian Cell-Based Applications
Simon Ausländer and Martin Fussenegger

Plant synthetic biology
Jim Haseloff

Phage Therapy in the Era of Synthetic Biology
E. Magda Barbu, Kyle C. Cady, and Bolyn Hubby

Minimal cells
John Glass

Cell-Free Synthetic Biology: Engineering Beyond the Cell
Jessica G. Perez, Jessica C. Stark, and Michael C. Jewett

The Need for Integrated Approaches in Metabolic Engineering
Anna Lechner, Elizabeth Brunk, and Jay D. Keasling

Computational tools for synthetic biololgy
Evan Appleton, Nicholas Roehner, Curtis Madsen, and Douglas Densmore

At the Interface of Chemical and Biological Synthesis: An Expanded Genetic Code
Han Xiao and Peter Schultz

Building Spatial Synthetic Biology with Compartments, Scaffolds, and Communities
Jessica K. Polka, Stephanie G. Hays, and Pamela A. Silver

Synthetic Biology of Natural Products
Rainer Breitling and Eriko Takano

Synthetic Morphogenesis
Brian P. Teague, Patrick Guye, and Ron Weiss