sR&B is short for Synthetic RNA Biology.
As quoted in “The Case For RNA” by Liu, Chang C and Adam Arkin, Science, 2010.
“RNA shows promise for engineering synthetic systems for controlling gene expression.”
Cells are geniuses and masters to regulate gene expression as they manage to overwhelm variety of natural mechanisms, including RNA interfering, riboswitches, transcription regulation, translation modification, etc.
Bioengineers, however, have had difficulty appropriating such diversity because each mechanism demands a distinct set of strategies in order to tailor it for synthetic systems. Can we do what cells are good at?
Central Dogma can never be that simple. The central role in Central Dogma is undoubtedly RNA. As most synthetic biologists aim to construct gene circuits, genetic networks, and even bio-computer, RNA is the role you can never leave out.