Why did Drew Endy compare BioBricks to resistors and transistors?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

synthetic biology; Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0 — synthetic biology A scanning electron micrograph of cells of *Mycoplasma mycoides* JCVI-syn1.0—a synthetic bacterium.

Drew Endy, a prominent bioengineer and founder of the BioBricks Foundation, compared BioBricks to resistors and transistors to highlight his vision for standardizing biological engineering.1

He sought to create a catalog of basic biological parts—or "bricks"—derived from DNA and other molecules that would consistently perform the same function when integrated into larger organic constructions. By establishing these standardized components, Endy aimed to provide the field of synthetic biology with a modular framework similar to the one that revolutionized electrical engineering. This approach allows scientists to reliably combine these parts to build complex biological systems, much like engineers use standardized electronic components to design functional circuits.1