Bringing next-generation therapeutics to the clinic through synthetic biology

Recent advances in synthetic biology have created genetic tools with the potential to enhance the specificity, dynamic control, efficacy, and safety of medical treatments. Interfacing these genetic devices with human patients may thus bring about more efficient treatments or entirely new solutions to presently intractable maladies. Here we review engineered circuits with clinical potential and discuss their design, implementation, and validation.

► Synthetic biology tools are being applied towards the clinical development of enhanced therapeutics. ► Engineered genetic circuits can create ‘smart’ drugs with sensing and actuating capabilities. ► Therapeutic devices may be delivered through viral vectors, encapsulated cells, or bacteria. ► With initial clinical trials underway, safety will be the first priority.