Difference Between Synthetic Biology and Genetic Engineering

Synthetic Biology is the design and construction of new biological systems, while genetic engineering is the modification of existing biological systems. Both are fields of Biotechnology.

What is Genetic Engineering?

Genetic engineering is a more traditional approach that involves the transfer of genes from one organism to another.

This is done using a variety of techniques, such as recombinant DNA technology. It allows scientists to isolate genes from different organisms together.

What is Synthetic Biology?

Synthetic biology is a new field that takes a more engineering-based approach to the manipulation of genes.

In synthetic biology, scientists design and build new biological systems from scratch, using standardized genetic parts. It allows them to create organisms with unique properties that do not exist naturally.

For example, synthetic biologists have created bacteria that can produce biofuels, or yeast that can produce plastics.

Synthetic biology vs Genetic Engineering

Here are the main differences between Synthetic biology and Genetic Engineering:

Feature	Genetic engineering	Synthetic biology
Approach	Transferring genes from one organism to another	Designing and building new biological systems from scratch
Tools	Recombinant DNA technology, PCR, etc.	Standardized genetic parts, engineering principles
Goals	Modify existing organisms	Create new organisms with desired properties
Complexity	Typically modifies single genes	Can modify entire genomes
Risks	Relatively well-understood	Still being studied
Regulation	Regulated by many countries	Not yet as widely regulated
Potential applications	Genetically modified crops, bacteria that produce human insulin, vaccines	Biofuels, plastics, medicines, etc.