This book provides a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of the  opportunities and challenges of the complex field of synthetic biology, which combines various scientific disciplines. The emerging field of synthetic biology employs biotechnological approaches to  recreate and enhance basic biological structures, intracellular processes and  whole organisms. The book addresses a broad range of topics,  including redesigning complex metabolic pathways, DNA/RNA and protein  engineering, as well as novel synthetic biomaterials. It discusses both "bottom  up" and "top down" approaches and presents the latest genome engineering tools  with predictions about how these could change our way of thinking and working.  Since the use of synthetic biology raises a number of ethical questions, a chapter is devoted to public awareness and risk management.The book is of  interest to scientists from both academia and industry, as well as PhD students and postdocs working in the field