Rising influence of synthetic biology in regenerative medicine

Synthetic biology is an emerging area of research that combines the investigative nature of biology with the constructive nature of engineering. Despite the field being in its infancy, it has already aided the development of a myriad of industrially and pharmaceutically useful compounds, devices and therapies and is now being applied within the field of regenerative medicine. By combining synthetic biology with regenerative medicine, the engineering of cells and organisms offers potential avenues for applications in tissue engineering, bioprocessing, biomaterial and scaffold development, stem cell therapies and even gene therapies. This review aims to discuss how synthetic biology has been applied within these distinct areas of regenerative medicine, the challenges it faces and any future possibilities this exciting new field may hold.