Freeze-Dried, Cell-Free Synthetic Biology

Synthetic biology is bringing together engineers, physicists and biologists to model, design and construct biological circuits out of proteins, genes and other bits of DNA, and to use these circuits to rewire and reprogram organisms. Recent efforts have shown that it is possible to freeze-dry synthetic gene circuits and cell-free transcription-translation systems onto paper and other substrates.

Here we describe how these technologies are being used to create rapid diagnostics, on-demand biomolecular manufacturig capabilities, synthetic biology educational kits, and next-generation wearables, enabling the power and diversity of biology to be harnessed outside of the laboratory.