Category: Synthetic biology

Over 200 non-canonical amino acids have been genetically incorporated into proteins using advanced genetic code expansion technologies, proving it's possible to make new amino acids. This incredible ability to expand life's building blocks is now revolutionizing biotechnology, medicine, and materials science, pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

While the vast majority of proteins we encounter are produced by living organisms, modern science has definitively shown that non-biological proteins can and do exist. Research into creating proteins outside of biological systems is a rapidly growing field with profound implications for medicine, materials science, and our understanding of the origins of life.

The human body is home to trillions of microorganisms, yet a 2021 study revealed that inoculants often fail to establish or modify ecosystem functioning long-term, highlighting the difficulty in manipulating these communities. Successfully engineering microbiomes requires navigating a complex and interconnected web of technical, ecological, and ethical challenges.

Since 2011, scientists at institutions like Princeton University have successfully created synthetic proteins capable of sustaining life in bacteria. The question, 'is there such a thing as synthetic protein?' is not only a possibility but a reality that has unlocked new potential in medicine, materials science, and beyond. This field of synthetic biology allows researchers to create proteins with specific, non-natural properties.