¿Biología sintética, solución para los problemas del futuro? / Synthetic biology, solution for the problems of the future?

Abstract

Synthetic biology is a cutting edge area of science, recently emerged from the combination of biology, computing, chemistry and engineering. This work focuses on its influence on the future world issues, mainly concentrating on the upcoming power crisis. Synthetic bacteria with the capability of producing biofuels can represent a viable solution for the depletion of fossil fuels. By their properties, butanol and hydrogen represent two plausible fuels to substitute those being used nowadays. Pathways which enable the synthesis have been described in many know bacteria, some also having been used in the past for this purpose. Toxic products require cell adaptations to solvent saturated mediums. Strategies include membrane and capsule structural modifications, membrane composition variations, hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface shifts and efflux pumps. Aspects of the bacteria’s metabolism such as its carbon source are also reviewed. Certain organisms’ catabolic routes could rend a double benefit in biofuel production, as it could also influence in bioremediation. Most of the information and techniques needed to construct such organisms is already available. The increasing knowledge in biofuel synthesis involved pathways will most likely allow the creation of synthetic organisms for this purpose in the future.