In Silico Design of Functional DNA Constructs

The promise of synthetic biology lies in the creation of novel function from the proper combination of genetic elements. De novo gene synthesis has become a cost-effective method for building virtually any conceptualized genetic construct, removing the constraints of extant sequences, and greatly facilitating study of the relationships between gene sequence and function. With the rapid increase in the number and variety of characterized and cataloged genetic elements, tools that facilitate assembly of such parts into functional constructs (genes, vectors, circuits, etc.) are essential. The Gene Designer software allows scientists and engineers to readily manage and recombine genetic elements into novel assemblies. It also provides tools for the simulation of molecular cloning schemes as well as the engineering and optimization of protein-coding sequences. Together, the functions in Gene Designer provide a complete capability to design functional genetic constructs.