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Updated: May 30, 2025

Using Synthetic Biology to Engineer Living Cells That Interface with Programmable Materials
Published on: March 9, 2017
When synthetic biology meets medicine
Yuge Feng1,2, Cong Su1, Guobin Mao1
1CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics and Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Abstract:
In recent years, the world has faced significant challenges with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as other infectious diseases such as Zika and Ebola. Furthermore, the rapid rise of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer has placed tremendous strain on healthcare resources and systems. Unfortunately, advancements in drug development, diagnostics, and therapeutics have struggled to keep pace with the emergence and progression of diseases, necessitating the exploration of new technologies for the discovery and development of biomedicines and biotherapies. Synthetic biology, a revolutionary field in modern science, holds great promise in advancing drug development and disease treatment. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent developments in the application of synthetic biology to medicine, with a specific focus on its role in drug discovery, drug production, and the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases.
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