Synthetic Biology

"The optimism behind synthetic biology assumes that biology can now largely follow the trajectory of computing, where progress was made possible by the continuous improvement in microchips, with performance doubling and price dropping in half every year or two for decades. The underlying technologies for synthetic biology — gene sequencing and DNA synthesis — are on similar trends.

As in computing, biological information is coded in DNA, so it can be programmed — with the goal of redesigning organisms for useful purposes. The aim is to make such programming and production faster, cheaper and more reliable, more an engineering discipline with reusable parts and automation and less an artisanal craft, as biology has been.

Synthetic biology, proponents say, holds the promise of reprogramming biology to be more powerful and then mass-producing the turbocharged cells to increase food production, fight disease, generate energy, purify water and devour carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

For the first time ever, synthetic biology companies are on the verge of making money instead of consuming money.

The money flowing in is still the clearest sign of commercial optimism. Synthetic biology companies raised $9 billion from venture capitalists and initial public offerings worldwide in the first half of this year, more than the amount raised all last year, according to SynBioBeta, an industry newsletter. In 2015, the total raised was $1 billion.

The industry, broadly, is divided into tools makers and product developers. The tool makers include well-established suppliers to synthetic biology companies and others, like the gene sequencers Illumina and Pacific Biosciences, as well as DNA synthesizers, which are younger companies like Twist Bioscience and Codex DNA.

Ginkgo Bioworks, which recently went public, has an all-in-one biofoundry that others can use to make synthetic biology products — much as Amazon supplies cloud computing services to many companies.

The product developers, which include organizations from tiny start-ups to pharma giants, are developing products and new manufacturing processes with synthetic biology across the spectrum of industry. Synthetic biology, for example, was employed to accelerate the production of Covid-19 vaccines.

Not every application aims to save lives or the planet. Cronos, a Canadian company, is using synthetic biology to develop cannabis edibles. Zbiotics, a San Francisco start-up, has a hangover killer.

But there are elements of the potential for transformation of major industries. Bayer, whose agricultural interests include the DEKALB seed business, is creating nitrogen-fixing microbes to apply to seeds, potentially reducing the use of chemical fertilizer.

Lululemon, the athleisure wear maker, is working with a start-up, Genomatica, to shift from petrochemical-based nylon to bio-built fabrics. Impossible Foods uses synthetic biology to create its plant-based burgers. Bridgestone is exploring the use of bio-based alternatives for chemical polymers used in producing tires. And Amyris, an early synthetic biology company, has become a thriving supplier of ingredients for the cosmetics and fragrance industry.

 

Biology is literally a surplus manufacturing capacity. It happens so much we don’t think about it. Biology is making this stuff for free.

 

All atoms are local. So synthetic biology lashed to the internet will enable a “design anywhere, grow everywhere” paradigm that could lead to a massive upgrading of local manufacturing and an economic rebalancing in favor of deglobalization.

 

The technology can also be used to increase biodiversity and protect endangered species. Ocean warming, for example, is destroying coral reefs. But corals in the Red Sea have remarkable heat tolerance. Altering coral genes to mimic the Red Sea varieties could halt the decline and possibly revive coral reefs worldwide.

BioBricks Foundation organizes scientists and engineers to develop standardized DNA parts — biological building blocks for use in synthetic biology. Contributors agree to let others freely use the biobricks — much as open-source software projects operate.

The International Genetically Engineered Machine Foundation, or iGEM, runs annual contests for teams of students making synthetic biology projects, from kits of biobricks."

Lithuanian students participate and win iGEM competitions. Scientific work in the field of synthetic biology has not yet started in Lithuania.