Kevin M. Esvelt · Molecular Systems Biology 2013 · narrative review · n=?

Genome‐scale engineering for systems and synthetic biology

Cited 333 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Level 5 by design analogy (narrative review/expert perspective on biotechnology methods).

OpenAlex W2167299815 · doi:10.1038/msb.2012.66 · record verified 2026-08-30

What was done

This is a narrative review evaluating technologies and methodologies for genome-scale engineering in systems and synthetic biology. The authors assess methods for directed and combinatorial cellular engineering, discuss approaches for expanding genome modification tools into new host organisms, and review applications in programmable chasses, synthetic biochemistries, and ecological containment.

What was found

The abstract reports no quantitative data or numerical outcomes. It describes a qualitative transition from historical, labor-intensive techniques restricted to random or isolated targeted edits toward modern platforms capable of efficient, multiplexed, and genome-wide engineering.

Why it matters

It provides a conceptual roadmap for how high-throughput genome editing enables rational reprogramming of biological systems and whole organisms.

Limits

The work is a non-systematic narrative review providing theoretical and technological overview rather than primary experimental data or statistical pooling. The abstract lacks quantitative comparisons of editing efficiency, fidelity, or organism-specific performance.

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