Biotechs engineer ancient organisms and speed product development

National Science Foundation (NSF) Logo, reprod...
National Science Foundation (NSF) Logo, reproduction allowed. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

New Boston biotech companies such as Ginkgo BioWorks, Cambrian Innovation, and Manus Biosynthesis are tapping into ancient organisms and new IT capabilities to produce new solutions that are environmentally clean, US based, and fast with as little as 6 month product development life cycles. Gingko notes that 1/4 of their employees are software developers and they are run more like a chip fabrication factory, with robotic automation and bar-coding than a bio lab. The products they are developing include new electrofuels, fine chemicals such as flavors, fragrances, remediation technologies, bio-similars support and new genetic security systems using DOE, NSF, and DARPA grants.

Researchers making microbes that can do the dirty work – Boston.com.

 

TypesOfNewProducts
TypesOfNewProducts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)