  Synthetic Biology is the new engineering-based approach to biology that
includes applications of designing complex biological devices. At present, it
is not yet clear what will emerge as the defining principles of Synthetic
Biology. One proposed approach is to build Synthetic Biology around the
classical engineering principles of standardization, modularity/decoupling and
abstraction/modeling to facilitate component-based design. In this article we
suggest and discuss an alternative paradigm, which we call High-throughput
Biologically Optimized Search Engineering (HT-BOSE). Stemming from directed
evolution, in HT-BOSE the focal point is a biological knowledge based rational
optimization of the search process in the space of device design possibilities.
The HT-BOSE approach may also be relevant in other contexts and we briefly
highlight how it could be applicable to the development of multi-drug cocktails
in a biomedical setting.
