title: Grand challenges in space synthetic biology.
abstract: Space synthetic biology is a branch of biotechnology dedicated to engineering biological systems for space exploration, industry and science. There is significant public and private interest in designing robust and reliable organisms that can assist on long-duration astronaut missions. Recent work has also demonstrated that such synthetic biology is a feasible payload minimization and life support approach as well. This article identifies the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the field of space synthetic biology, while highlighting relevant progress. It also outlines anticipated broader benefits from this field, because space engineering advances will drive technological innovation on Earth.
authors.affiliation: California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, 2151 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA 94704-5230, USA amenezes@berkeley.edu.
authors.forename: Amor A
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3923-5766
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Menezes
authors.affiliation: Applications of Vital Knowledge, 113 Chestnut Hill Way, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Montague
authors.affiliation: NASA Ames Space Portal, NASA Ames Research Center, MS 555-2, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cumbers
authors.affiliation: Bioengineering Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, MS 239-15, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hogan
authors.affiliation: California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, 2151 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA 94704-5230, USA E.O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, MS955-512 L, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA aparkin@lbl.gov.
authors.forename: Adam P
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4999-2931
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Arkin
mesh_terms: D000337:Aerospace Medicine / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D013026:Space Flight; D058615:Synthetic Biology / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends
keywords: life support; manufacturing; resource utilization; space cybernetics; space medicine; terraforming