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Synthetic biology is an interdisciplinary branch of biology and engineering. The subject combines various disciplines from within these domains, such as biotechnology, evolutionary biology, genetic engineering, molecular biology, molecular engineering, systems biology, biophysics, and computer engineering. Synthetic biology applies these disciplines to build artificial biological systems for research, engineering and medical applications.

Descriptions of synthetic biology depend on how the user approaches it, as a biologist or as an engineer. Originally seen as a subset of biology, in recent years the role of electrical and chemical engineering has become more important. For example, one description designates synthetic biology as "an emerging discipline that uses engineering principles to design and assemble biological components". Another description, by Jan Staman Director of the Rathenau Institute in The Hague in 2006, portrayed it as "a new emerging scientific field where ICT, biotechnology and nanotechnology meet and strengthen each other".

The definition of synthetic biology is debated, not only among natural scientists and engineers but also in the human sciences, arts and politics. One popular definition is "designing and constructing biological modules,biological systems, and biological machines for useful purposes." However, the functional aspects of this definition are rooted in molecular biology and biotechnology.

As usage of the term has expanded to many interdisciplinary fields, synthetic biology has been recently defined as the artificial design and engineering of biological systems and living organisms for purposes of improving applications for industry or biological research.

In general its purpose can be described as the design and construction of novel artificial biological pathways, organisms or devices, or the redesign of existing natural biological systems.

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