Synthetic biology
Present situation worldwide and in Switzerland
The term “synthetic biology” is used to describe activities that aim to turn biotechnology into a “real” engineering discipline. It covers processes that enable the application of biological systems such as cells or tissues to chemical, diagnostic or medical problems following classic engineering methods. The underlying assumption is that by doing so, prototype cells can be built significantly faster, more complex new properties can be built into cells, and the prospects of such activities can be greatly improved. Such methods include the mathematical simulation of biological prototypes ahead of construction, the introduction of norms and standards for the use of biological components and measurement methods, or the dissociation of design and execution tasks. This last aspect applies in particular to the fast evolving possibility of chemically synthesising genetic sequences of unprecedented length (up to entire chromosomes in unicellular organisms). Bioengineers are thus spending more and more time planning prototypes and are outsourcing time-consuming biological programming tasks to others. Indeed, the biological properties controlled, modified or even newly construed by bioengineers are becoming ever more complex. There is a constant stream of new applications for synthetic biology, especially in the fields of chemical production, diagnostics, medicine and pharmaceutics. The range of applications is a wide one and includes genetic circuit engineering, greatly improved diagnosis and therapy of diseases such as gout, diabetes and even cancer, more sustainable production of ever more complex chemicals, or wholly new approaches in areas such as biologically produced high-performance materials.
Implications for Switzerland
Switzerland plays a key role in the young discipline of synthetic biology. With its Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering in Basel, the ETH Zurich has established a hotspot that benefits greatly from its proximity to major pharmaceutical players and has become a global leader in medical applications and simulations. Rooted in Switzerland’s tradition of biotechnological excellence, other institutions also play a prominent role. The ETH and others have given rise to various startups. Even though Switzerland is very well positioned in terms of education and implementation, it must remain attentive to future developments. Infrastructure requirements are growing at a fast pace and it is likely that Switzerland’s economy will soon be too small to fully meet these needs. In Europe, only the United Kingdom is investing comparable energy to Switzerland into promoting synthetic biology. Switzerland’s neighbouring countries are much less advanced. New developments in the synthesis of large DNA molecules, which in the long run is likely to prove crucial for sustained success in synthetic biology, are almost exclusively limited to the US.