The Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) Version 3: Simplified Data Exchange for Bioengineering

Area of Science:

• Synthetic Biology
• Bioinformatics
• Data Standards

Background:

• The Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) is a community-developed data standard for representing biological designs.
• Early SBOL versions focused on DNA components, limiting broader synthetic biology workflow representation.
• Previous SBOL deployments highlighted the need for a streamlined data model.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce the SBOL3 specification.
• Compare SBOL3 to previous SBOL versions.
• Provide practical examples of SBOL3 implementation in synthetic biology.

Main Methods:

• Description of the SBOL3 data model.
• Comparative analysis of SBOL3 against SBOL1 and SBOL2.
• Illustrative use cases demonstrating SBOL3 capabilities.

Main Results:

• SBOL3 offers a streamlined and simplified data model compared to prior versions.
• The standard now supports representation across multiple scales, from molecular components to multicellular systems.
• SBOL3 is designed for practical application in diverse scientific and industrial synthetic biology settings.

Conclusions:

• SBOL3 represents a significant advancement in standardizing synthetic biology data.
• The new version enhances the representation of complex biological designs and workflows.
• SBOL3 facilitates broader adoption and application of synthetic biology principles through improved data tractability.