Synthetic biology: From the first synthetic cell to see its current situation and future development

Zhang, LiuYan; Chang, SuHua; Wang, Jing

On May 21, 2010, researchers in J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) published on Science their latest achievement on the creation of the first synthetic cell, as labeled JCVI-syn1.0, which was controlled by a completely chemically synthesized genome [1] . This achievement upon its publication has brought great concerns and extensive discussions in both scientific community and social society. The birth of the first synthetic cell indicates an important breakthrough in synthetic biology, which is an emerging field showing great value and potential in many fields, including medicine, energy, environment and agriculture. According to the report by The Royal Academy of Engineering of United Kingdom in 2009, it is expected that synthetic biology will create new significant industries, and the development of this field will have great impact on the future economy of United Kingdom, Europe and even all over the world [2] . Researchers from a wide range of disciplines, including *Corresponding author (email: ) biology, computer science, engineering and mathematics, have been attracted to devote themselves to the research of synthetic biology. Numerous projects on synthetic biology have been proposed. A flourish of synthetic biology has been envisioned especially in Europe and USA. In order to promote the development of synthetic biology in China, here in this article, we made a systematic review on synthetic biology, including its basic concept, research content, and key achievements. We also investigated its current situation in both China and abroad. At last, we analyzed the opportunities and challenges in synthetic biology, and looked forward to the future development of synthetic biology, especially its future development in China.