👉 Relatives engineering is a method used in synthetic biology to design and construct biological systems by leveraging the genetic components of closely related organisms. This approach simplifies the process of engineering new biological functions or pathways by utilizing well-characterized and genetically tractable model organisms, such as
Escherichia coli
or
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
. By transferring and modifying genetic elements from these relatives, researchers can introduce novel traits or optimize existing ones more efficiently. This technique relies on the conservation of genetic pathways and regulatory elements across related species, making it easier to predict and control the behavior of engineered biological systems. Relatives engineering thus serves as a powerful tool for advancing synthetic biology by providing a robust and versatile framework for the creation of new biological functions.