Synthetic biology aims to transform biological understanding into reliable engineering practices: standardized parts, predictive models, modular systems and automated workflows. Synthetic biology has rapidly matured from a collection of ambitious ideas and proof-of-concept demonstrations into a multidisciplinary field that reshapes how we design, build, and apply biological systems. Europe has played a central role in this evolution, contributing foundational methods (genome editing, DNA assembly, cell-free systems), community infrastructure (biobricks, community labs), and ethical and governance scholarship that addresses societal needs. The region’s diversity, from world-class research clusters to startups and policy development creates a unique ecosystem in which technical innovation and responsible governance co-evolve. Capturing this interplay is essential for charting realistic pathways toward beneficial applications in health, agriculture, environment, industry and beyond.
This Special Issue aims to document recent advances in synthetic biology research and technologies developed in Europe and to highlight examples of translation of those into industry.
Submissions across the full breadth of synthetic biology, with particular interest in contributions that connect laboratory innovation to societal impact, are invited. Topics include, but are not limited to:
(1) design and engineering of genetic circuits, metabolic pathways, and chassis organisms;
(2) advances in DNA synthesis, assembly, and editing technologies;
(3) development of cell-free systems, synthetic genomes, and “minimal” cells;
(4) synthetic biology-driven automation, high-throughput screening, and computational design (e.g. AI-driven design, modelling).
We welcome original research articles, comprehensive reviews, concise communications, as well as method and protocol papers, case studies, and perspectives. Interdisciplinary submissions that bridge technical, regulatory, and societal domains are alos encouraged.
Keywords:
- synthetic genome engineering
- synthetic regulatory networks
- biosensors
- therapeutic designer cells
- synthetic bacterial/fungal metabolism and chassis engineering
- environmental synthetic biology
- cell-free protein/RNA synthesis and minimal cell systems
- plant synthetic biology
- refactoring of secondary metabolism
- engineering of mammalian systems
- synthetic biology-driven automation
- DNA editing technologies
