The first blockbuster drug produced via synthetic biology principles is about to go into large-scale production, offering hope for an affordable treatment to the 500 million people in the world who suffer from malaria.

Synthetic biology is the design and construction of new biological entities such as enzymes, genetic circuits, and cells or the redesign of existing biological systems. Synthetic biology builds on the advances in molecular, cell, and systems biology and seeks to transform biology in the same way that synthesis transformed chemistry and integrated circuit design transformed computing.