Sunday, November 6, 2011

Synthetic Biology - A Possible Future Niche

Synthetic Biology - A Possible Future Niche


By Vanessa Sweeney


There are constant strives and innovations going on in the medical world. One of the latest ideas is synthetic biology, which is quite a scientific subject matter. Some of the top scientists in the field are still a little unsure of exactly how synthetic biology will work, but it is not stopping the medical field from advancing in the field. Simply put, synthetic biology is the process of shuffling genes around in order to make human cells from scratch without actually using any natural cells.

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It is thought that this type of biology can be used to make T-cells, which may be able to fight cancers and other diseases which are typically incurable. There is of course controversy over making human cells out of non human materials. There is the argument that it is an unnatural process and that it should not be attempted even if it does have its benefits. It are the benefits however that scientists and other medical professionals are fighting for. Some countries have even gone as far as banning synthetic biology because they are afraid of the technology falling into the wrong hands.

At this point in time, the studies are only studies and nothing concrete has been invented or implemented. Even though synthetic cells have been created in labs, these cells have not been used in any current medical treatments. It could be years or even decades before the public would see any benefit from the study of synthetic biology, but this is a direction that medicine is keeping an eye out for.

There are several medical advance niches out there and this is just one of the newer studies happening. If synthetic biology does become a reality, it would be interesting to see what illnesses and diseases it could treat and cure.

For more information on this advancing medical study, see http://www.theinternettimemachine.com.

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