Synthetic biology is an interdisciplinary field of study that uses engineering
The paper, recently published in the journal Communications, describes how the configuration of gene chains can be changed so that they do not suppress host cells.
"We connect them together like Lego chains and insert them into the host cage," he explainsLead author of the study , Xiaojun Tian, Assistant Professor, School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering at ASU."The links in the chain are designed to perform different functions, but they have to compete with each other for limited resources."
Competition for resources has been a problem in synthetic biology since its inception 20 years ago.
Now scientists have developed a way to insertseparate gene chains into multiple host cells that work together. Each cell performs a specific function, eliminating unwanted competition for the resources of any host cell. Instead of sharing resources, each cell can handle 100% of its assigned workload. Host cells work as a whole without depleting a single cell's resources - and each gene chain is a winner.
This technology is widely used forcancer treatment, and there will be opportunities for its use in other diseases on the horizon. 90% of cancer deaths are due to metastasis - the spread of cancer cells to other parts of the body. However, treatment resistance is still a major problem for cancer treatment.
There are many different types of cells in a cancerous mass.Some cells are sensitive to chemotherapy and others are not, which causes resistance to treatment. Scientists propose to design a new multitasking configuration of synthetic gene circuits in order to prevent cell metastasis in the first place, while simultaneously making them more susceptible to treatment. Multicellular synthetic regimens will be a much more effective treatment for cancer than existing methods, scientists are sure.
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