Once seen as the stuff of science fiction, the manipulation of living organisms at the genetic level is now seen as a commonplace reality. Glowing mice, drug-producing yeast, pesticide-resistant corn, all of these have been brought about by our ever-increasing control over genetics. One effect of this increased knowledge is that the biological world is more and more seen as a production facility. No longer is the factory floor the sole preserve of thumping machines, high voltage lines, and robot welders. Instead, more and more companies are turning to the fermenter and the incubator in their quest to speedily and cheaply manufacture products. The second session of SynBioBeta SF 2015 is given over to talks by these pioneers of the biological manufacturing realm. It covers the gamut of company stages, ranging from those designing the genetic blueprints through to the giants of the bio-production world. The session will be moderated by Patrick Westfall from Zymergen, who has previously led synthetic biology programs at both Amyris (the famed artemisinin project) and Dow AgroSciences (utilising their EXZACT precision genome engineering platform). With this wealth of experience, he is in the perfect place to moderate our various speakers:
A vast number of high tech start-ups begin within the academic environment. Putting paid to the ivory tower stereotype, many researchers try to commercialise their discoveries – and universities attempt to support this whenever possible. One way in which they do this is to develop interdisciplinary institutes in which researchers can easily share ideas, similar to famed innovation hubs such as Bell Laboratories.The Centre for Systems & Synthetic Biology, at Brunel University London, is just one of these hubs. Their goal is nothing less than to understand the complexity of living systems, then harness that complexity for our own needs.Nigel Saunders, co-director of the centre, is an excellent example of this broad focus. Initially trained in medicine, he then specialised in medical microbiology and pathology before finding himself as a researcher in functional genomics and systems biology. He will be discussing the interdisciplinary approach to discovery taken by Brunel in his upcoming talk.
The very first step in producing an efficient biological factory involves designing the blueprints for your production process, and that means genetic engineering. More specifically, it means a large amount of time spent examining sequences of DNA, determining modifications which could increase efficiency or yield, modelling those changes, and then transforming organisms with the new genetic sequence. Although these steps are rapidly getting easier to perform, thanks to the perfection of restriction enzyme-free methods, they remain difficult and tedious.TeselaGen in San Francisco aims to remove the hassle from this process. A developer of cloud based DNA design tools, they work within what is known as BioCAD/CAM, computer aided design and manufacture of biomolecules. Their software offers a wide range of assembly, editing and viewing modes, using pre-built knowledge to help identify the best protocol for creating the desired gene. Clever software interfaces then allow these protocols to be exported to automated assembly processes, such as those needed in making combinatorial libraries. Dr Michael Fero, founder and CEO, data scientist and particle physicist, will be discussing these advantages at SynBioBeta.Also active within this space is Genome Compiler, from Israel. Their software acts as an easy-to-use but powerful tool for genomic design, editing, and visualisation. Links to online databases as well as DNA synthesis companies allow it to act as a single point of call for DNA sequence work. Omri Amirav-Drory, founder and CEO, will be giving his thoughts and comments on the process involved in developing this kind of product.
Founded in 2012, LabGenius provides synthetically designed DNA libraries, which can be considered the ‘movable type’ in the bioengineering printing press. DNA libraries allow a vast number of DNA combinations to be simultaneously tested in transformed cells, speeding up the discovery process immensely. The LabGene 600 library from LabGenius allows the targeted introduction of randomised DNA into a sequence, allowing groups to specify the region of their sequence which they would like to improve.This in turn can dramatically speed the rate by which proteins are optimised, antibodies engineered, and biocatalysts discovered. James Field, CEO and founder of LabGenius, has a history within the synthetic biology field – he has been both participant and advisor in iGEM, a fellow in the Synthetic Biology LEAP program, and has completed a PhD in protein nanocage engineering. He will be talking about his experiences in Session 2 of SynBioBeta SF 2015.
The prime targets for bio-production are molecules which are large and complex – essentially those for which standard chemical synthesis is overly difficult; and thus dyes and inks are strong contenders. Biological dyes have a long history, of course, having been extracted from plants and animals for textile use since the Stone Age. With the onset of synthetic dye production their importance waned, but increasing interest in biodegradability and environmental safety has put a number of them back on the radar.Supplying a natural dye is significantly more complex, however, with source organisms requiring more space to grow, collect, purify, etc. To solve these problems, a French firm known as Pili is stepping into the fray. The company uses cultured microorganisms to synthesise a range of non-toxic, biodegradable pigments for use in markers and textiles. Their main product is a blue ink produced by soil bacteria of the Streptomyces family, and they already collaborating with the well-known pen manufacturer Bic. Talking about these experiences will be Thomas Landrain, co-founder and CEO, who recently led the fledgling company through an intensive IndieBio Ireland accelerator program.
PILI has been testing biofabricated dyes on various kind of fibres. Source: PILI – We biofabricate living colors.
At the other end of the bio-production scale are products which are derived from common sources but are difficult to shape into the final form. Take wood, for example. The tree must be grown, cut down, sawn, the right pieces taken for construction, each step requiring time and involving the production of more waste. What if it were possible to make an equivalent product using bioengineering and common waste products?Ecovative Design is a successful biomaterial production firm built on exactly this premise. They use common plant material as a source for the growth of mycelium, the mass of threadlike hyphae which make up the root equivalent for fungus. Being long and filamentous, these hyphae act similarly to the cellulose chains which give wood its structural strength, while growing infinitely faster and with the ability to be moulded into shape.Ecovative is thus able to use their fungal system to produce mouldable ‘plywood’ (MycoBoard, currently found in furniture) as well as ‘styrofoam’ (Mycofoam, a packing material for many different products). Interested? Eben Bayer, who along with co-founder Gavin McIntyre first dreamed up the idea in 2006, will be discussing their project at SynBioBeta.
Production at industrial scales is an immense challenge, requiring careful calculation of inputs and outputs at volumes that the average person never even thinks about. It requires significant experience, and very few organisations can claim the pedigree held by DuPont, one of the largest chemical manufacturing companies in the world. With a long history in chemical production and R&D, they are also heavily involved in the use of bio-production for industrial bulk chemicals.Speaking for DuPont is Dr Derek Wells, Senior Scientist in DuPont’s Industrial Biosciences division. An expert in the fields of protein and metabolic pathway engineering, he is listed on four bio-production-related patents. During his time as Senior Scientist played a key role in the DuPont-Goodyear collaboration developing of bio-isoprene, a biologically derived version of a versatile chemical normally made from petrochemical sources.Session 2 of SynBioBeta SF 2015 will run from 10:00 – 11:15am. We hope to see you all there!
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