Synthetic biology (SB) applies the engineering cycle of ‘design-build-test-learn’ to create new living systems. It is a multidisciplinary practice drawing on molecular biology, genetics, engineering, computing, biochemistry among other disciplines, linked by an underlying commitment to the design approach. The foundational premise of SB is seductively appealing: work with biological organisms as if their parts are or can be standardized, in order to understand how they work and engineer them to serve human purposes. SB thus offers a vision of navigating and controlling the otherwise-chaotic complexity of living biological systems.

中文翻译：

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合成生物学的伦理是否符合目的？青蒿素案例研究【观点】


合成生物学（SB）应用“设计-构建-测试-学习”的工程周期来创建新的生命系统。这是一种多学科实践，借鉴了分子生物学、遗传学、工程学、计算、生物化学等学科，并通过对设计方法的基本承诺联系在一起。 SB 的基本前提非常吸引人：与生物有机体一起工作，就好像它们的部件已经标准化或可以标准化一样，以便了解它们如何工作并对其进行改造以服务于人类目的。因此，SB 提供了一种驾驭和控制生命生物系统原本混乱的复杂性的愿景。