In the coming years, some hospitals may be able to produce personalized vaccines in a matter of days, design cell therapies to target specific tumors, or manufacture essential drugs without relying on global supply chains. This is what synthetic biology does—a discipline that combines genetic engineering, biotechnology, and computing to create or reprogram genetic material for medical, agricultural, or industrial purposes.
For healthcare professionals, this is not a distant laboratory concept—the first clinical applications are already underway, and their impact could be as disruptive as the advent of antibiotics.
What Is Synthetic Biology?
Unlike traditional genetic engineering, which modifies existing genes, synthetic biology makes it possible to build DNA from scratch. Companies like Twist Bioscience have miniaturized the process to the point of synthesizing thousands of genes simultaneously, dramatically reducing costs and turnaround times.
This opens the door to a new paradigm: designing custom genetic sequences, producing them at scale, and rapidly testing variants until finding the most effective one for a given treatment. In medicine, this means moving from slow trial-and-error to fast design–build–test cycles.
Medical Applications Already Underway
Personalized Cancer Vaccines
En 2024, un ensayo en Alemania utilizó ADN sintético para generar vacunas adaptadas al perfil genético de cada paciente oncológico. La estrategia consiste en secuenciar el tumor, identificar las mutaciones clave y diseñar un antígeno que entrene al sistema inmune para reconocer y atacar las células malignas. Los resultados preliminares muestran una reducción significativa de recaídas frente a terapias convencionales.
Treatments for Drug-Resistant Infections.
Bacterial resistance is a growing threat. Researchers are developing synthetic bacteriophages—viruses that infect bacteria—capable of targeting multidrug-resistant strains in critically ill patients, offering a potential alternative or complement to ineffective antibiotics.
Faster Production of Essential Medicines
A classic example is artemisinin, an antimalarial drug. Traditionally, it was extracted from a plant in a 10-month process. Through synthetic biology, yeast has been engineered to produce it via fermentation in just three months, ensuring a steady supply and reducing the risk of shortages.
Beyond Drugs: Cell Therapies
Synthetic biology is also transforming advanced therapies. One of the most promising breakthroughs is programming immune cells to recognize and destroy cancer cells. In laboratory tests, engineered lymphocytes have detected tumors and precisely activated destruction mechanisms, minimizing damage to healthy tissue.
In the near future, this could turn certain types of cancer into manageable chronic diseases, with personalized treatments based on each patient’s genetic profile.
Sustainability and the Production of Medical Supplies
Beyond disease treatment, synthetic biology can make medical and pharmaceutical resources more sustainable:
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Production of compounds without depleting natural resources:
For example, producing squalene—used in vaccines and cosmetics—in engineered yeast instead of extracting it from shark livers. -
Synthesis of specialty proteins:
Such as spider silk, with applications in strong, biodegradable surgical sutures. -
Bio-based hospital fabrics and materials:
Plastics and fibers manufactured from biomass, eliminating dependence on petroleum.
The Promise for Public Health
For the healthcare system, synthetic biology must deliver not only innovation but also resilience.
In potential future pandemics, a laboratory with DNA synthesis capabilities could design a vaccine prototype within weeks. Or, in resource-limited settings, it could locally produce essential medicines without relying on imports.
In addition, the ability to create living biosensors—microorganisms that can rapidly detect pathogens or biomarkers—opens new pathways for early diagnosis in hospitals and primary care centers.
Challenges and Precautions
Like any powerful technology, synthetic biology presents risks:
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Biosecurity: The same techniques that enable cures can also be used to recreate dangerous pathogens.
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Uneven regulation: While the United States and the EU are advancing regulatory frameworks, other countries lack specific controls.
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Healthcare workforce training: To implement these technologies safely and effectively, physicians, pharmacists, and technicians will need to be trained in their use and limitations.
In this context, agencies such as the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS) already require prior authorization for trials involving synthetic DNA and promote the screening of potentially hazardous sequences.
What’s Coming in the Next Few Years
A few years from now, a hospital might receive the DNA needed for a tailored treatment within 48 hours—not because it’s made in the basement, but because an external laboratory produces it, validates it, and ships it ready for use.
That bridge between the idea and the patient is what makes everything work. This is where Duponte comes in—not just as a supplier, but as a partner—helping hospitals, clinics, and medical centers translate patient needs into personalized therapies.
Synthetic biology will slip quietly into clinical routines—in a tray, in a kit, in a vial labeled with a date and time. And although the patient may never know, behind it will be a team that, as today, will continue working side by side with healthcare professionals to ensure that precision medicine moves from promise to everyday practice.