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What's in a name?

    Nature Biotechnology volume 27, pages 1071–1073 (2009)Cite this article

    Defining an emerging field can be challenging. Nature Biotechnology asked 20 experts for their views on the term 'synthetic biology'.

    Similar to other new and trendy fields, synthetic biology has been defined so loosely that it can seem like all things to all people. Traditional genetic or metabolic engineering has been rebranded as synthetic biology, often to take advantage of the hype cycle that fuels investor interest. Below, 20 experts give their own definitions. The diversity of responses indicates that consensus as to the meaning of synthetic biology still lies some way off.

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    What's in a name?. Nat Biotechnol 27, 1071–1073 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt1209-1071

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt1209-1071

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