The book Chemical Synthetic Biology edited by Pier Luigi Luisi, Professor Emeritus, and Cristiano Chiarabelli, both ETH Zürich, Switzerland, covers a dynamic new area of research at the interface of science and engineering.
In her review in Angewandte Chemie, Susanne Brakmann, Dortmund University of Technology, Germany, says:
In its most popular meaning, synthetic biology “… seeks to use natural parts of biological systems […] to create assemblies that do things that are not done by natural biology”, [1] for example, the biotechnological production of fuels or fine chemicals. In contrast, the synthetic biology performed by chemists has the opposite aim: “… to use unnatural molecular parts to do things that are done by natural biology”, and thereby to reach a chemical understanding of life.[1]
The book Chemical Synthetic Biology is an up-to-date collection of review articles edited by Luisi and Chiarabelli, which aims to give a topical survey from the chemical point of view.
The unique collection of review articles presented is an excellent source for understanding both the emergence and the importance of chemistry-based synthetic biology, as distinct from the more popular and applications-orientated bioengineering research in this field.
Besides the actual scientific information, the book also offers insights into some of the authors’ personal views and experiences.
As a whole, the book provides thought-provoking discussions that help one to sort and evaluate the prospects and risks of a synthetic biology.
[1] S. A. Benner, F. Chen, Z. Yang in Chemical Synthetic Biology (Eds.: P. L. Luisi, C. Chiarabelli), John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, 2011.
- Read the full book review at:
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51(8), 1759.
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201108847 
Chemical Synthetic Biology,
P. L. Luisi, C. Chiarabelli
John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, 2011.
ISBN: 978-0470713976- Also of interest:
Interview with Frances H. Arnold — Design by Evolution
Caltech Professor Frances H. Arnold sees laboratory evolution designing biology as solution to human problemsChemViews Mag. 2011.
DOI: 10.1002/chemv.201000143
