SynBio, Vol. 3, Pages 11: A Guide in Synthetic Biology: Designing Genetic Circuits and Their Applications in Stem Cells

SynBio doi: 10.3390/synbio3030011

Authors:
Karim S. Elnaggar
Ola Gamal
Nouran Hesham
Sama Ayman
Nouran Mohamed
Ali Moataz
Emad M. Elzayat
Nourhan Hassan

Stem cells, unspecialized cells with regenerative and differentiation capabilities, hold immense potential in regenerative medicine, exemplified by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. However, their clinical application faces significant limitations, including their tumorigenic risk due to uncontrolled proliferation and cellular heterogeneity. This review explores how synthetic biology, an interdisciplinary approach combining engineering and biology, offers promising solutions to these challenges. It discusses the concepts, toolkit, and advantages of synthetic biology, focusing on the design and integration of genetic circuits to program stem cell differentiation and engineer safety mechanisms like inducible suicide switches. This review comprehensively examines recent advancements in synthetic biology applications for stem cell engineering, including programmable differentiation circuits, cell reprogramming strategies, and therapeutic cell engineering approaches. We highlight specific examples of genetic circuits that have been successfully implemented in various stem cell types, from embryonic stem cells to induced pluripotent stem cells, demonstrating their potential for clinical translation. Despite these advancements, the integration of synthetic biology with mammalian cells remains complex, necessitating further research, standardized datasets, open access repositories, and interdisciplinary collaborations to build a robust framework for predicting and managing this complexity.

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Karim S. Elnaggar www.mdpi.com