Imagine if you could 3D print life. This is the fascinating world of synthetic biology, or synbio. Ahead of BIO IMPACT Digital, BIO President and CEO Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath discussed the possibilities with the co-founder of what’s called “the first synbio unicorn” on the I AM BIO Podcast.
“3D printing actual DNA has become science non-fiction,” said Dr. Michelle, helping scientists solve “some of the most vexing problems on the planet, whether it’s stopping a pandemic in its tracks or saving the Earth from the excesses of man.”
For example, synbio is being used to make COVID-19 vaccines—without needing to use the live virus. “It’s much faster than the traditional way to make vaccines,” said Dr. Jason Kelly, CEO and Co-Founder of Gingko Bioworks, which is working with Moderna on their RNA vaccine.
It’s also being used to discover new antibiotics, by looking in the genomes of bacteria to see how they fight one another. You can “computationally look at the code and say, hey, that might be an antibiotic, and then you go print it and try it out and see if it is,” he explained. (Gingko has partnered with Roche to find new classes of antibiotics this way.)
And on the ag front, Gingko’s working with Bayer to develop corn, wheat, and rice that produce their own nitrogen fertilizer.
Here's a scoop on what's next for Gingko: They’re doing work on bioremediation—“using biology to break things down,” because biology is “the world’s best recycler.”
Why it matters: Before COVID-19, “normal” meant not being prepared for pandemics, not being prepared for climate change, and allowing society to continue being inequitable. “After all this turmoil,” Jason concluded, we have the chance to ask, “what do we want the future to look like?” And synthetic biology can help us get there.
Listen to the whole thing to learn how the field has evolved since we mapped the genome, what it actually means to “print” DNA, and why Jason is inspired by “Jurassic Park.”
Listen at www.bio.org/podcast or your favorite podcast platform, including Apple, Google, or Spotify.
More News:
The Wall Street Journal: Why vaccines are essential to herd immunity
“Scientists say 60% to 70% of the population would have to gain immunity to COVID-19 through infection or vaccination to reach widespread protection.”
World Economic Forum: What are the challenges in making the planet more sustainable?
“Significant work remains to save the planet, especially on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, investing in renewable energy, and reversing biodiversity loss.”
