6533b826fe1ef96bd1283c16
RESEARCH PRODUCT
The Software Crisis of Synthetic Biology
Manuel PorcarSergi ValverdeRicard V. SoléJuli Peretósubject
0303 health sciencesOrthogonality (programming)Computer scienceSystems biologyComplex system02 engineering and technologyBioinformaticsData science03 medical and health sciencesSynthetic biologySoftware crisis020204 information systems0202 electrical engineering electronic engineering information engineeringRegistry of Standard Biological PartsSoftware repository030304 developmental biologydescription
In fifteen years, Synthetic Biology (SB) has moved from proof-of-concept designs to several flagship achievements. Standardisation efforts are still under way, basic engineering concepts such as modularity and orthogonality are still controversial in biology, and making predictions from computer models is still unreliable. A deep characterization in the pattern of re-use of biological blocks in SB has not been attempted to date. We have compared the topological organisation of two different technological networks, one associated to a standard, large-scale software repository and the second provided by the Registry of Standard Biological Parts (RSBP). Our results strongly suggest that software engineering, and not industrial engineering, is the closest complex system to SB. In both cases, combining standard or quasi-standard components assembly with tinkering may not be at odds with success.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-02-29 |