Synthetic Biology

Synthetic Biology is the flavour of the month. It is being promoted as the economic saviour of the Western World. For years governments in the USA, Japan, Russia and Europe in particular, have invested in the fundamental aspects of Molecular Biology. Indeed, it is now 60 years ago since Watson and Crick's landmark paper on the DNA double helix, which was followed by elucidation of the genetic code, the development of molecular cloning and genome sequencing technologies. It is no surprise therefore that politicians, and the public in general, believe it is about time we saw the fruits of this major investment for the benefit of mankind, and the development of new industries and jobs. Is this optimism misplaced? Is it hype or is there any substance to these hopes and aspirations?

Craig Venter (left) is no stranger to controversy. Months before the announcement of the completion of the sequencing of the human genome, the tension and disagreements between the Public Sector project (HUGO) and the Venter led commercial project (Celera) made the news headlines in 2010. The Daily Mail ran the headline: "Scientist accused of playing God after creating life by making designer microbe from scratch - but could it wipe out humanity?" Whether you agree or disagree with the critics, Venter along with his long-term collaborator, Hamilton (Ham) Smith (who shared the Nobel Prize in 1978 with Werner Arber and Dan Nathans for their work on microbial Restriction and Modification) have ignited the fuse of a revolution in contemporary Molecular Biology. They published the first synthesis and functional expression of a complete genome, paving the way for the transfer of Biosynthetic gene clusters from a wide range of genomes into Biotech-friendly hosts. In my view this is not only a major, technical  tour de force but looks set to meet  the optimistic aspirations of the politicians.

I was interested to see that the number of companies and research institutions (including Universities) engaged in Synthetic Biology, has tripled over the last 4 years: with Europe already outstripping the USA (although California remains the centre of gravity). The major areas of application are in speciality chemicals, biofuels and medicine. I have been surprised by the diversity of companies who are pioneering this Translational area of Molecular Biology, they include longstanding companies like GSK, Unilever and Croda, as well as newer companies including, Cambimmune, Oxitec, Synthace, Synpromics and Ingenza. Take a look and see whether you think the promises will come to fruition!