▁a ▁team ▁in ▁incorpor ating ▁the ▁concepts ▁of ▁computer ▁programming ▁and ▁engineering ▁to ▁bi ology . ▁" I ▁decided ▁to ▁take ▁what ▁we ▁understand ▁in ▁computing ▁and ▁apply ▁that ▁to ▁programming ▁bi ology . ▁To ▁me , ▁that ' s ▁really ▁the ▁ess ence ▁of ▁synth etic ▁bi ology ." ▁We iss ' ▁team ▁published ▁a ▁study ▁that ▁discuss es ▁how ▁they ▁combined ▁computer ▁circuit ▁elements ▁with ▁Bio Br icks ▁parts . ▁The ▁way ▁this ▁works ▁is ▁that ▁the ▁computer ▁circuit ▁is ▁able ▁to ▁distinguish ▁between ▁a ▁health y ▁and ▁mut ated ▁cell ▁by ▁util izing ▁a ▁set ▁of ▁five ▁criteria . ▁Any ▁cells ▁that ▁satisfy ▁these ▁conditions ▁are ▁deleted , ▁similar ▁to ▁the ▁way ▁code ▁could ▁eliminate ▁certain ▁functions ▁in ▁computer ▁programming . ▁The ▁ability ▁to ▁target ▁individual ▁cells ▁could ▁make ▁this ▁an ▁alternative ▁to ▁treat ments ▁that ▁may ▁have ▁harm ful ▁effects ▁on ▁health y ▁cells , ▁such ▁as ▁chem other apy . ▁ ▁Scient ific ▁Con cept s ▁ ▁The ▁area ▁of ▁synth etic ▁bi ology ▁is ▁extens ively ▁discussed ▁in ▁Play ing ▁God . ▁This ▁is ▁considered ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁relatively ▁new ▁field ▁that ▁incorpor ates ▁elements ▁of ▁engineering ▁into ▁bi ology . ▁It ▁involves ▁the ▁bl ending ▁and ▁manip ulation ▁of ▁natural ▁mole cules ▁and ▁un natural ▁mole cules ▁to ▁obtain ▁a ▁specific ▁outcome . ▁Through ▁this ▁mean , ▁scient ists ▁may ▁use ▁bi ology ▁as ▁a ▁base ▁for ▁the ▁development ▁of ▁synth etic ▁life ▁and ▁gen etic ▁coding . ▁This ▁area ▁of ▁study ▁has ▁been ▁noted ▁with