During cell division, a cell must duplicate its DNA so that each cell receives a complete set of genetic instructions. DNA replication involves the synthesis of a complementary DNA strand for each of the original DNA strands. The process follows a semi-conservative model, where each new DNA molecule contains one strand from the original molecule and one newly synthesized strand. DNA is double-stranded and includes sense strands (code in the 5’ to 3’ direction) and antisense strands (the non-coding DNA strand of a gene).DNA synthesis performed outside of a cell has various important applications across different fields of science and technology. There are two types of synthesis: natural and synthetic. Synthetic DNA synthesis is a technique that allows scientists to create DNA molecules without a template and in almost any sequence. DNA is the information repository of life. Since its discovery, it has become an essential research tool for chemistry, biology and materials science. The past two decades have witnessed a remarkable progress in generating biological systems including viable microorganisms from synthetic genomes1,2. As a consequence of this success, the demand for DNA is increasing, driving the development of new technologies to provide DNA in greater purity, quantity and at a reduced cost. These requirements have steered commercial priorities towards supplying synthetic DNA, as opposed to isolation of DNA derived from natural sources. Synthetic DNA is used by bioscience laboratories around the world and plays a fundamental role in a wide range of science and biotechnology advances. DNA synthesis technology “prints” DNA and enables researchers to study and engineer biological systems to better understand how they work. It is also essential for a wide range of biotechnology advances, from agricultural products and pharmaceuticals to advanced fuels and other biomanufacturing applications. Currently, nearly all synthetic DNA is produced by centralized providers who screen their customers and orders to help ensure that DNA with a potentially harmful sequence is not sold to customers without a legitimate use for it. However, a new generation of benchtop DNA synthesis devices—machines designed to be used on any lab workbench—will soon enable users to more easily print DNA in their own labs. This emerging technology has the potential to disrupt the centralized synthesis market and its associated biosecurity practices by driving DNA acquisition toward a more distributed model. The greater ease of access to synthetic DNA resulting from these new, more widely available benchtop devices—combined with scientific advances in our understanding of pathogens and insufficient oversight—may also empower malicious actors by making it easier to obtain the building blocks of potentially dangerous biological agents.Synthetic DNA is of increasing demand across many sectors of research and commercial activities. Engineering biology, therapy, data storage and nanotechnology are set for rapid developments if DNA can be provided at scale and low cost. Stimulated by successes in next generation sequencing and gene editing technologies, DNA synthesis is already a burgeoning industry. However, the synthesis of >200 bp sequences remains unaffordable. To overcome these limitations and start writing DNA as effectively as it is read, alternative technologies have been developed including molecular assembly and cloning methods, template-independent enzymatic synthesis, microarray and rolling circle amplification techniques. The chemical synthesis of DNA oligonucleotides and their assembly into synthons, genes, circuits, and even entire genomes by gene synthesis methods has become an enabling technology for modern molecular biology and enables the design, build, test, learn, and repeat cycle underpinning innovations in synthetic biology.
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