A survey of enabling technologies in synthetic biology

Abstract

Background: Realizing constructive applications of synthetic biology requires continued development of enabling technologies as well as policies and practices to ensure these technologies remain accessible for research. Broadly defined, enabling technologies for synthetic biology include any reagent or method that, alone or in combination with associated technologies, provides the means to generate any new research tool or application. Because applications of synthetic biology likely will embody multiple patented inventions, it will be important to create structures for managing intellectual property rights that best promote continued innovation. Monitoring the enabling technologies of synthetic biology will facilitate the systematic investigation of property rights coupled to these technologies and help shape policies and practices that impact the use, regulation, patenting, and licensing of these technologies.

Results: We conducted a survey among a self-identifying community of practitioners engaged in synthetic biology research to obtain their opinions and experiences with technologies that support the engineering of biological systems. Technologies widely used and considered enabling by survey participants included public and private registries of biological parts, standard methods for physical assembly of DNA constructs, genomic databases, software tools for search, alignment, analysis, and editing of DNA sequences, and commercial services for DNA synthesis and sequencing. Standards and methods supporting measurement, functional composition, and data exchange were less widely used though still considered enabling by a subset of survey participants.

Conclusions: The set of enabling technologies compiled from this survey provide insight into the many and varied technologies that support innovation in synthetic biology. Many of these technologies are widely accessible for use, either by virtue of being in the public domain or through legal tools such as non-exclusive licensing. Access to some patent protected technologies is less clear and use of these technologies may be subject to restrictions imposed by material transfer agreements or other contract terms. We expect the technologies considered enabling for synthetic biology to change as the field advances. By monitoring the enabling technologies of synthetic biology and addressing the policies and practices that impact their development and use, our hope is that the field will be better able to realize its full potential.

Figure 1

Publicly available registries of natural or engineered biological materials or information. (A) Percentage of synthetic biology researchers in academia that use biological parts from, or contribute parts to, publicly available registries. (B) Percentage of synthetic biology researchers in industry that use biological parts from, or contribute parts to, publicly available registries. (C) Impact of iGEM experience on use of the iGEM Registry by synthetic biology researchers in academia and industry.

Figure 2

Private registries of natural or engineered biological materials or information. Percentage of synthetic biology researchers in academia and industry that maintain a private registry of biological parts, make these materials available to others, send materials to others directly, and send materials via a publicly available registry.

Figure 3

Physical assembly standards and methods. Current and past use of physical assembly standards and methods by synthetic biology researchers.

Figure 4

Standards and methods for measurement, functional composition, and data exchange. Current and past use of standards and methods for measurement, functional composition, and data exchange by synthetic biology researchers.

Figure 5

Additional tools, reagents and methods. Current and past use of genomic databases, sequence tools, DNA synthesis tools, DNA sequencing tools, culture techniques, and other tools, reagents, and methods by synthetic biology researchers.

Figure 6

Software tools. Current and past use of software tools by synthetic biology researchers.