Biotica technology Ltd, Chesterford Research Park, Little Chesterford, Essex CB10 1XL, UK. barrie.wilkinson@biotica.com
The term 'synthetic biology' is being used with increasing frequency to describe the biocatalytic generation of small molecules, either via stepwise biotransformation or engineered biosynthetic pathways. The flexibility of this newly coined term encompasses the historically separate fields of natural product biosynthesis and metabolic engineering. This review discusses the state of the art of these two disciplines in the context of the discovery and development of bioactive precursors and products.