Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Synthetic biology has evolved from a set of engineering aspirations to an operationally sophisticated discipline, and artificial intelligence (AI) is its fastest-growing accelerant. This review traces that convergence across six interlocking domains: systems-level biological modeling, de novo protein engineering, metabolic and microbial programming, multi-omics data integration, regulatory element design, and clinical translation. For each domain, we survey established results, integrate findings from 2010–2026 literature, and articulate the trajectories that will define the next decade. Emerging themes include physics-informed neural networks for mechanistically constrained biological modeling, drug design, and federated learning architectures that allow global omics collaboration without centralizing sensitive data, self-driving laboratories that close the Design-Build-Test-Learn loop with minimal human intervention, and large language models that accelerate hypothesis generation from scientific literature. Alongside these opportunities, the review gives equal weight to the governance challenges they create: dual-use risks amplified by generative sequence design, the reproducibility crisis in AI-driven biodesign, and the equitable distribution of autonomous experimentation capacity. The overarching argument is that the promise of synthetic biology, making biological design as deliberate and reliable as any mature engineering discipline, is closer than ever, but will only be realized if technical ambition is matched by scientific rigor, transparent governance, and inclusive access.
Source: The EuroBiotech Journal
Authors: Izem Olcay Sahin, Nuriye Gokce, Duygu T. Yildirim, A. Baki Yildirim, Hilal Akalın, Donald Martin, Tommaso Beccari, Oscar Vicente, Iza Radecka, Fideline Tchuenbou-Magaia, Robert S. Marks, Ratnesh Lal, Satya Prakash, Adam Mechler, Mario Petrov Milkov, Svetlana Fotkova Georgieva, Ilia Iliev, Kosi Gramatikoff, Ed Judge, Milica Markovic, Radka Kaneva, Galina Aleksieva Yaneva, Nadya Vasileva Agova, Nikoleta Dobromirova Ivanova, Mariya Kiryakova Tsvetkova, Ivelin Rosenov Iliev, Michel Salzet, Kisung Ko, Michele Maffia, Chiara Coppola, Matteo Bertelli, Isabelle Fournier, Lejla Pojskic, Qun Sun, Lembit Nei, Reynir Armgrisson, Gary Henehan, Daumantas Matulis, Dijana Plaseska-Karanfilska, K. Santacruz-Gomez, Isabel Belo, Štefánia Hrončeková, Sehime G. Temel, Ole K. Greiner-Tollersrud, Dana Tapaloaga, Andreas Janecke, Ivana Marova, Benedetta Spedicato, Polona Žnidaršič-Plazl, Igor Plazl, Ariola Bacu, Anargyros N. Moulas, Alexander Kilchevsky, M. Sait Dundar, P. Bartolini, Anita Slavica, Francisco Fuentes, Jose Carlos Lorenzo Feijoo, Andrés Izquierdo Romero, Helal Ragab Moussa, Amin Hejazi, Attya Bhatti, Bajram Berisha, Alma Kokhmetova, Nikolai Zhelev, Juraj Krajcovic, Viktor Nedovic, Alla Salmina, Mark Nujiten, İrem Kalay, Majeti Narasimha Vara Prasad, Luis Izquierdo Lopez, Dominika Vešelényiová, Maria Rachele Ceccarini, Bernard Fioretti, Gergana P. Ilieva, M. Cerkez Ergoren, Noursaid Tligui, Serghei Sprincean, Saharuddin Bin Mohamad, Miklos Kellermayer, Esra Arslan Ates, Pembe Savas, Ivana Márová, Martin Koller, Hakan Gurkan, Erhan Parıltay, Ercument Ovalı, Sevda Yesim Ozdemir, Tanil Kocagoz, Hilmi Tozkir, Gunnur Demircan, Eda Tahir Turanli, Havva Cobanogullari, Victor Nedovic, Victor Revin, Recep Eroz, Annika Joy Meitern, Munis Dundar
Institutions: Erciyes University, Institut polytechnique de Grenoble, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratoire des Matériaux et du Génie Physique, Université Grenoble Alpes, University of Perugia, Universitat Politècnica de València, University of Wolverhampton, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, University of California, Santa Barbara, McGill University, La Trobe University, Medical University of Varna, Plovdiv University, EPAM Systems (United States), University Hospital of Basel, Medical University of Sofia, Université de Lille, Protéomique, Réponse Inflammatoire et Spectrométrie de Masse, Chung-Ang University, University of Salento, University of Sarajevo, Sichuan University, Tallinn University of Technology, University of Iceland, Technological University Dublin, Vilnius University, Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Universidad de Sonora, University of Minho, Institute of Chemistry of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bursa Uludağ Üni̇versi̇tesi̇, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, Innsbruck Medical University, Universität Innsbruck, University of Sassari, Brno University of Technology, University of Ljubljana, University of Tirana, University of Thessaly, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Institute of Genetics and Cytology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy, University of Florence, University of Zagreb, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Universidad de Ciego de Ávila, Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran, National University of Sciences and Technology, Academy of Sciences of Albania, Technical University of Munich, University of Prishtina, Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Dundee, Medical University Plovdiv, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, University of Belgrade, Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi, Şişli Etfal Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, University of Hyderabad, Consorzio Interuniversitario per le Biotecnologie, University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, Near East University, Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II, Moldova State University, University of Malaya, Semmelweis University, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul University, Eastern Mediterranean University, University of Graz, Nawi Graz, Trakya University, Üsküdar University, Acıbadem University, Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University, National Research Mordovia State University, Aksaray University
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7170679565