Can life be standardized? Current challenges in biological standardization

Authors

  • Juli Peretó University of Valencia (Spain).
  • Manuel Porcar University of Valencia (Spain).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.11.15981

Keywords:

context-dependency, modularity, noise, promiscuity, synthetic biology

Abstract

The concept of standard strongly evokes machines, industries, electric or mechanical devices, vehicles, or furniture. Indeed, our technological civilization would not be possible – at least in the terms it is structured today – without universal, reliable components, whose acknowledged use results in competitive costs, robustness and interchangeability. For example, an Ikea screw can be used in a wide set of structurally dissimilar furniture and an app can be run on many different smartphones. The very concept of standardization is linked to the industrial revolution and mass production of goods through assembly lines. The question we will try to answer in the present paper is the extent to which standards and the standardization process can be accomplished in the biological realm.

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Author Biographies

Juli Peretó, University of Valencia (Spain).

Full Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Valencia (Spain) and researcher at the Institute of Integrative Systems Biology I2SysBio (University of Valencia–CSIC). He is a member of the Institute for Catalan Studies and the founding partner of Darwin Bioprospecting Excellence SL (Science Park of the University of Valencia). He explains metabolism to biotechnology students and, as a member of the Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology lab, his research interests include bioprospecting, metabolic modelling, and the history of ideas about the natural origin and artificial synthesis of life. 

Manuel Porcar, University of Valencia (Spain).

Researcher at the University of Valencia (Spain) in the Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology lab of the Institute of Integrative Systems Biology I2SysBio (University of Valencia–CSIC) and president of Darwin Bioprospecting Excellence SL (Science Park of the University of Valencia). Among his fields of research are bioprospecting in environments hostile to the search of microorganisms of industrial interest, as well as various aspects of the development of synthetic biology as an emerging discipline. He is currently the coordinator of the European H2020 project BioRobooST, which brings together 27 public and private institutions from Europe and six partners from Asia and America with the aim of promoting an international standardisation process in synthetic biology. 

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Published

2021-01-21

How to Cite

Peretó, J., & Porcar, M. (2021). Can life be standardized? Current challenges in biological standardization. Metode Science Studies Journal, (11), 75–81. https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.11.15981
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Issue

Science's structures (2021)

Section

Standards. The building blocks of complexity

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