Week 1 Tues Flashcards
What are some challenges in Syn Bio?
Hardware limitations, software challenges, making biological systems that are economically viable, Regulatory/safety/ethical considerations
What is the definition of inputs?
From environment, acted on by system
What is the definition of outputs?
Released to environment by system
What is the definition of Process?
mechanism to convert inputs to outputs
What is the definition of a system?
a functional engineering product with purpose
Cells can be thought of as Nature’s _____.
engineers
What is the goal of synthetic biology as a whole?
To create new biological systems that benefit society
What are some of the processes we need to understand to design synthetic biology systems?
basic biology, DNA -> RNA-> Protein gene expression, enzyme activity, metabolism, cellular communities, protein interactions, etc
What is considered the “hardware” in syn bio?
Cells (raw materials to provide energy) and DNA synthesis (raw materials to design software)
What is considered the “software” in syn bio?
the genetic parts, modules, & devices aka “gene circuits” that execute processes (what we design)
What is the purpose of impossible foods?
sustainable food production
Synthetic biology systems can be broken down into ____.
scales
What is our system in this syn bio experiment?
Yeast cells that make Vitamin A precursor beta-carotene
What is the purpose & motivation to our syn bio experiment?
Vitamin A deficiency is a a public health problem in more than half of all countries. Methods of producing Vitamin A supplements are not sustainable
