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Frontiers in Synthetic Biology

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A multidisciplinary journal focused on advancing research on biology and digital technologies by altering metabolism to produce high-value products for applications ranging from biofuels to plant d...

Frontiers in Synthetic Biology is an interdisciplinary field that encompasses research, engineering, and technoscience. Its fundamental premise is that living cells, tissues, and organisms can be regarded as miniature...

About the journal
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  • Author guidelines

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  • Editor guidelines

    Reviewing a manuscript? See our editor guidelines for everything you need to know about the Frontiers peer review process.

  • Peer review

    Our rigorous and transparent peer review combines expert assessment with constructive dialogue to strengthen your manuscript.

  • Publishing fees

    Article processing charges apply to articles accepted for publication by our external editors after rigorous peer review.

Editors

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Ned Budisa

University of Manitoba

Canada

Editor-in-Chief

David Bernard Levin

University of Manitoba

Canada

Specialty Chief Editor

Ecosystems and Biodiversity Sustainability

Mattheos Koffas

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

United States

Specialty Chief Editor

Metabolic Engineering

Patrick O'Donoghue

Western University

Canada

Specialty Chief Editor

Protein and RNA Engineering

Tae Seok Moon

Engineering Biology Research Consortium, EBRC

United States

Specialty Chief Editor

Genetic Systems and Circuit Design

Ahmad Khalil

Boston University

United States

Associate Editor

Genetic Systems and Circuit Design

Ahsan Islam

Loughborough University

United Kingdom

Associate Editor

Metabolic Engineering

Alejandro Vignoni

Universitat Politècnica de València

Spain

Associate Editor

Genetic Systems and Circuit Design

52 editors · 0 reviewers

About the journal

Scope

Frontiers in Synthetic Biology is an interdisciplinary field that encompasses research, engineering, and technoscience. Its fundamental premise is that living cells, tissues, and organisms can be regarded as miniature programmable production units. In this analogy, DNA functions as the software that governs the synthesis of proteins, metabolites, and various small and complex molecules, collectively akin to its hardware. Realizing these objectives requires the integration of diverse disciplines, including biological, chemical, software, and mechatronic engineering. It also draws on fundamental sciences such as chemistry, biology, statistics, artificial intelligence, and biophysics, all converging under the umbrella of synthetic biology. Led by Field Chief Editor Ned Budisa from the University of Manitoba, Frontiers in Synthetic Biology understands the significance of being an open-access publisher and aims to contribute positively to the widespread dissemination of research in synthetic biology by bridging the gap between bioengineering, industrial research, and basic sciences, leveraging the interdisciplinary nature of the field. The journal aims to encompass various topics, including: crop engineering ecosystems and biodiversity sustainability genetic systems and circuit design metabolic engineering (synthetic metabolism) orthogonal biological systems protein and RNA engineering synthetic microbiology The journal welcomes high-quality submissions that support and advance research conducted on both in vitro platforms, including microfluidic devices with a particular emphasis on bottom-up synthetic biology, as well as in vivo studies encompassing viruses, bacteria, mammals, plants, and animals in laboratory settings or environmental contexts. We recognize the significance of the integration of biology and digital technologies, which we anticipate will be a major focal point for humanity in the coming decades. This encompasses theoretical and in silico papers that present novel models, tools, and concepts, along with scientific proof-of-principle demonstrations and bioengineering advancements. Special perspective articles will be dedicated to iGEM student teams, companies, and observers from various fields, particularly the social sciences, providing a valuable resource for students and scholars interested in exploring the educational, industrial, and societal dimensions and implications of synthetic biology. Considering the inherent interdisciplinarity of synthetic biology, which often blurs the boundaries with other related research areas and biotechnology, we acknowledge the challenge of clearly differentiating it. To address this, we will foster close collaborations with Frontiers sister journals. This collaborative approach will ensure that we work together to minimize any potential overlap in research coverage, thereby optimizing the publication landscape in the field of synthetic biology.

Aims

Frontiers in Synthetic Biology is an interdisciplinary field that encompasses research, engineering, and technoscience. Its fundamental premise is that living cells, tissues, and organisms can be regarded as miniature programmable production units. In this analogy, DNA functions as the software that governs the synthesis of proteins, metabolites, and various small and complex molecules, collectively akin to its hardware. Realizing these objectives requires the integration of diverse disciplines, including biological, chemical, software, and mechatronic engineering. It also draws on fundamental sciences such as chemistry, biology, statistics, artificial intelligence, and biophysics, all converging under the umbrella of synthetic biology.

Led by Field Chief Editor Ned Budisa from the University of Manitoba, Frontiers in Synthetic Biology understands the significance of being an open-access publisher and aims to contribute positively to the widespread dissemination of research in synthetic biology by bridging the gap between bioengineering, industrial research, and basic sciences, leveraging the interdisciplinary nature of the field.

The journal aims to encompass various topics, including:

crop engineering

ecosystems and biodiversity sustainability

genetic systems and circuit design

metabolic engineering (synthetic metabolism)

orthogonal biological systems

protein and RNA engineering

synthetic microbiology

The journal welcomes high-quality submissions that support and advance research conducted on both in vitro platforms, including microfluidic devices with a particular emphasis on bottom-up synthetic biology, as well as in vivo studies encompassing viruses, bacteria, mammals, plants, and animals in laboratory settings or environmental contexts. We recognize the significance of the integration of biology and digital technologies, which we anticipate will be a major focal point for humanity in the coming decades. This encompasses theoretical and in silico papers that present novel models, tools, and concepts, along with scientific proof-of-principle demonstrations and bioengineering advancements.

Special perspective articles will be dedicated to iGEM student teams, companies, and observers from various fields, particularly the social sciences, providing a valuable resource for students and scholars interested in exploring the educational, industrial, and societal dimensions and implications of synthetic biology.

Considering the inherent interdisciplinarity of synthetic biology, which often blurs the boundaries with other related research areas and biotechnology, we acknowledge the challenge of clearly differentiating it. To address this, we will foster close collaborations with Frontiers sister journals. This collaborative approach will ensure that we work together to minimize any potential overlap in research coverage, thereby optimizing the publication landscape in the field of synthetic biology.

Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/synthetic-biology/about

ISSN
2813-818X
Editor-in-Chief
Ned Budisa (University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada) — Field Chief Editor
Established
2026

Sections

  • Ecosystems and Biodiversity Sustainability

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/synthetic-biology/sections/ecosystems-and-biodiversity-sustainability

  • Genetic Systems and Circuit Design

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/synthetic-biology/sections/genetic-systems-and-circuit-design

  • Metabolic Engineering

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/synthetic-biology/sections/metabolic-engineering

  • Protein and RNA Engineering

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/synthetic-biology/sections/protein-and-rna-engineering

Article types accepted

  • Original Research
  • Systematic Review
  • Methods
  • Review
  • Mini Review
  • Hypothesis and Theory
  • Perspective
  • Case Report
  • Data Report
  • Brief Research Report
  • General Commentary
  • Opinion
  • Correction
  • Editorial
  • FAIR² Data

Fees and currencies

  • Article processing charges (official)
  • - Category A: CHF 2,195 — Original Research, Systematic Review, Methods, Review, Hypothesis and Theory
  • - Category B: CHF 1,750 — Mini Review, Perspective, Case Report, Data Report, Brief Research Report, General Commentary, Opinion
  • - Category C: CHF 0 — Correction, Editorial
  • Currency: CHF

Fees are charged only after acceptance. Waivers and discounts are available for authors with limited funding.

Fees and waivers policy

Editorial policies

Peer review

  • Official peer-review process: https://www.frontiersin.org/about/peer-review

Publication ethics

  • Policies and publication ethics: https://www.frontiersin.org/guidelines/policies-and-publication-ethics

Indexing

  • Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (BASE)
  • CNKI Scholar
  • CLOCKSS
  • Crossref
  • Dimensions
  • Chinese Academy of Sciences GoOA
  • OpenAIRE
  • DOAJ
  • SIBiLS
  • ProQuest

Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/synthetic-biology/about

Instructions for authors

Accepted article types

  • Original Research (fee category A)
  • Systematic Review (fee category A)
  • Methods (fee category A)
  • Review (fee category A)
  • Mini Review (fee category B)
  • Hypothesis and Theory (fee category A)
  • Perspective (fee category B)
  • Case Report (fee category B)
  • Data Report (fee category B)
  • Brief Research Report (fee category B)
  • General Commentary (fee category B)
  • Opinion (fee category B)
  • Correction (fee category C)
  • Editorial (fee category C)
  • FAIR² Data

Author guidelines

  • https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/synthetic-biology/for-authors/author-guidelines

Peer review

  • https://www.frontiersin.org/about/peer-review

Journal metrics

Articles
28
Total views
150,900
Downloads
43,500
Citations
125

Internal metrics, calculated on this platform and maintained by the editorial office.

Official bibliometric indicators

CiteScore
4.8
Citations
125
Time to decision
35
Time to publication
98

Source: official publisher page · retrieved 2026-10-16

Some values were updated by the editorial office on 2026-10-23.