Genome editing and synthetic biology are other exciting bioscience innovations that offer viable solutions to contemporary challenges in agriculture, human health and environmental sustainability especially in the midst of the harsh reality of climate change.
Amidst the cloud of Covid19, a team of Kenyan scientists [are developing] low-cost diagnostic tools and biosensors for rapid detection of crop and human pathogens in Kenya’, the first-ever project on synthetic biology in the country. The project aims at employing synthetic biology to address the most pressing issues in the country: Food security and healthcare. Scientists have the opportunity to detect and control crop diseases in a timely manner. Furthermore, this technology provides a venue to design vaccines against diseases. This will hasten the process of disease surveillance, therefore enabling effective interventions in addressing these challenges.
Synthetic biology enables scientists to design and improve life. It is the integration of biology and engineering to create new biological functions with novel properties. The effects of climate change are estimated to cause about 20% to 49% fluctuations in crop yields in the near future. India and Canada have lost massive loss in crop yields as a result of heat waves. In Europe, canola varieties with the ability to tolerate high temperatures are being developed.
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