In an age when about 50 billion tons of greenhouse gases are expelled into the atmosphere each year due to human activities, the global rush is on to find effective solutions to curb this environmental fallout. The Edmonton-based start-up, SynBioBlox, has decided to join this race, bringing to the table a unique approach hinging on synthetic biology, a method of engineering living cells to convert greenhouse gases into functional outputs like sustainable jet fuel.

The world has long admired how trees inhale carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. Interestingly, certain microorganisms also consume greenhouse gases to fuel their biological processes, giving off diverse by-products. Through advancements in molecular biology, scientists can now employ gene-editing technology like CRISPR to amplify the efficiency of these organisms or even to generate new categories of cells dedicated to absorbing greenhouse gases and releasing useful substances.

The innovative minds behind SynBioBlox have expedited such discoveries by establishing the BioConversion Databank Foundation (BioDF) in 2019. This non-profit entity aggregates genetic sequencing data for researchers, enabling them to access crucial information in one central location. The foundation, which has garnered support from the University of Alberta and Alberta Innovates, further bolstered its operations by launching Maximizer™, a complimentary, intuitive open research portal dedicated to synthetic biology. The platform offers a simple route to high-grade data, expertise, and analytical tools.

Simultaneously, the SynBioBlox team began pondering how this vast storehouse of information could be utilized to drive global sustainability. Their proposition? To harness the Maximizer™ platform to identify biological organisms that consume greenhouse gases and, using synthetic biology and genetic modifications, transform those gases into beneficial products. Thanks to artificial intelligence and machine learning, they can upscale this operation for commercial development, paving the way for a burgeoning bio-manufacturing economy.

SynBioBlox is setting ambitious goals, planning to consume one billion tons of greenhouse gases annually via their synthetic biology solutions. They've achieved remarkable speed and cost-efficiency on this path. Adopting AI and machine learning has made their methodology ten times faster and doubly as cost-effective as traditional exploratory research methods.

"This process is revolutionary in tackling the climate change crisis. We are bio-industrializing mother nature by taking organisms that already love to do the process we need them to do and ramping it up. With the BioDF and Maximizer™, we can now turn the process on its head and quickly identify the specifications we need and find, modify, or create the organism to do it," stated John McDougall, CEO, SynBioBlox. "Our goal is to be a world leader in generating wealth through applying synthetic biology to organisms using greenhouse gases as an input."

SynBioBlox’s maiden project is developing sustainable aviation fuel named Active X, derived directly from greenhouse gases, notably methane. Considering that the aviation sector contributes to 3.5% of global greenhouse gas effects, Active X's potential to drastically reduce atmospheric emissions and the net carbon footprint of air travel cannot be overstated. The novel fuel, sourced from otherwise unused emissions, is projected to cost 80% less than traditional jet fuel.

SynBioBlox's future initiatives encompass using greenhouse gas emissions to bio-process amino acids to augment food availability and mitigate costs, fabricate biodegradable bioplastics, and lower emissions associated with cellulose production. The start-up is pursuing a $1.5 million investment to transition its projects from scale-up to commercial production. Investors who partner with SynBioBlox have the opportunity to support a sustainable future while tapping into the vast potential of artificial intelligence and machine learning within the realm of synthetic biology.

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