Blog 4: Biobricks and Standardized Biological Parts

In my last blog, I talked about how synthetic biology is different from genetic engineering. From my discussion, one of the biggest differences between the two was SynBio’s use of standardized biological parts. These parts are known as Biobricks and are one of the largest factors towards Synbio’s uniqueness. 

In today’s blog, I’ll explain what Biobricks actually are, how they work, why standardization matters so much in synthetic biology, and the real-world applications that they are being applied to. 

Biobricks: The LEGO of Synthetic Biology

Biobricks are short sequences of DNA that each have their own specific role in gene expression. To name a few, a promoter is a Biobrick that tells the cell when to start reading DNA. A coding region is the actual set of instructions that tells the cell which protein to make. Finally a terminator signals for the cell to stop reading DNA. By combining these parts, scientists can control exactly when, where, and how much of a protein is made. What makes Biobricks so powerful to SynBio is that they’re designed to be interchangeable. Scientists can mix and match these bricks to build all sorts of genetic systems. 

Before Biobricks, building a genetic system looked a little like genetic engineering where everything had to be created from scratch. This made the process slow and difficult to replicate. However, using the predefined Biobricks, setting up and conducting experiments becomes easier.  

This concept of standardization has led to the creation of the Registry of Standard Biological Parts, an organization where scientists around the world can contribute and share their Biobricks. It has also influenced the rise of competitions like iGEM where students use Biobricks to build biological systems. 

In a way, Biobricks’s contribution to SynBio could be compared to what Henry Ford’s assembly line did for the automotive industry. Let me explain, the assembly line didn’t invent the car but improved a process to make building cars faster using standardized parts. Similarly, Biobricks didn’t invent synthetic biology but improved the system so that scientists can now pull from a shared library of parts to build biological systems faster. 

Why Standardization Matters:

Although the standardization I mentioned above might sound like a small detail, it’s revolutionary to SynBio. When every biological part follows the same formatting rules, it makes it much easier for scientists to share, reuse, and modify them to get what they want. Instead of having to start from a blank state for every experiment, they can pull from a growing library of reliable parts(see blog 1 for more information on libraries). This standardization saves time, reduces error, and allows for better collaboration across research. It transforms biology from a one-off experiment into a scalable, repeatable process.  

Biobricks in the Real World

Biobricks have also had a massive impact on real-world research and industry. For example, scientists at companies like Ginkgo Bioworks use Biobricks to engineer microbes that can produce everything from fragrances and food ingredients to biodegradable materials. In medicine, researchers are designing synthetic gene circuits to control how cells respond to diseases. Specifically, they’ve been able to program immune cells to target cancer more precisely. Not to mention, it’s also been applied to the development of biosensors, tiny biological systems that can detect environmental toxins, track air or water quality, or monitor infections in the body. By making biology easier to program, these Biobricks are upgrading living cells and proving that standardized DNA parts aren’t just a made up concept but revolutionary to SynBio.

Conclusion

That’s all for my blog. To summarize, Biobricks are one of the factors that helped synthetic biology expand genetic engineering. 

In future blogs, I’ll dive deeper into the tools and technologies that support SynBio, like gene editing, biosensors, and digital design platforms. Thanks!

– Aidan Kincaid