Applications

This approach has already found its way into industrial scale production of a variety of important molecules such as the production of insulin from E. coli and more recently in the production of naturally occurring bio-products such as the plastic monomers succinic acid and lactic acid, and n-butanol as a solvent and next generation biofuel.[1] This area is still in its nascence, but as it begins to mature it has the potential to carry significant impact on the green credentials of the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industry. A review on recent developments in the field of synthetic biology in the pharmaceutical industry has been published by Breitling and Takano.[2]