2015 Synthetic Biology Highlights

Top ten synthetic biology accomplishments.

1. Leukemia patient in remission after treatment with SynBio immune cells

One-year-old Layla’s life was saved after cutting-edge gene-editing technology was used to successfully treat her leukemia when all other treatments had failed. After destroying her own cancerous lymphocytes Layla was injected with donor T-cells modified using a synthetic DNA-cutting enzyme ‘TALEN’. This prevented the T-cells from being rejected, and allowed them to avoid destruction by the cancer drugs. Within weeks of treatment, Layla’s condition had improved, and after a bone marrow transplant she was declared cancer-free.

2. Synthetic biology creates ‘bipointilism’ – living color paintings

Genetic modification of yeast is almost as old as synthetic biology itself. While GM yeast used in ‘bipointalism’ is not useful for anything but a proof-of-concept (and this proof-of-concept isn’t new by a long stretch), the novelty comes in the use of modified yeast as an art form. Art and design can encourage thoughtfulness and debate around such a subject in no way science can, and the union of these two fields could help bring a better, positive understanding of genetic modification and synthetic biology in its correct, safe use.
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