How Synthetic Biology Could Change the Way We Live

Imagine a world where we can engineer biological systems to produce sustainable energy, cure diseases, and create materials that are biodegradable and environmentally friendly. This world is not a distant future, but rather a reality that is being made possible through exciting advancements in synthetic biology.

Synthetic biology (synbio) is a branch of science that re-designs organisms in order to improve and sustain human life. According to one estimate, this rapidly expanding field of science will generate $28.8 billion in global revenue by 2026.

Although it has the potential to transform many aspects of society, if synbio is used for malicious or unethical purposes, things could go horribly wrong.

Synbio's Upsides:

This field of science has numerous real-world applications that have the potential to change our lives. McKinsey identified over 400 potential synbio applications, which were divided into four major categories:

If those potential applications become a reality in the coming years, the direct economic impact by 2030–2040 could be up to $3.6 trillion per year.

1. Health and Human Performance

Synbio is expected to have a significant impact on the medical and health sectors, with a $1.3 trillion annual economic impact by 2030–2040.

Synbio has a wide range of medical applications. It could be used to manipulate biological pathways in yeast, for example, to develop Januvia (Sitgaliptin) a diabetes drug from Merck.

It could also help with gene therapy. Touchlight Genetics, a British biotech company, is developing a method to create synthetic DNA without the use of bacteria, which would revolutionize gene therapy.

1. Agriculture and Food Manufacturing

With up to $1.2 trillion in annual revenue by 2030, Synbio has the potential to make a significant impact in the agricultural sector as well.

Impossible Foods recognized that blood, specifically, the iron-containing heme, is important for the taste and experience of eating a hamburger. Some plant roots “bleed” when cut. The yeast?Pichia pastoris was engineered to produce soy leghemoglobin, which improves meaty flavors and aromas when added to a plant-based burger. Optimizing the production strain involved DNA synthesis, Gibson Assembly, genetic part libraries,, and a positive feedback loop for autoinduction.?Compared to a beef patty, the Impossible Burger requires 96% less land and 89% fewer greenhouse gases.

2. Services and Consumables

Products could be tailored to an individual's specific needs using synthetic biology. This would be useful in fields such as genetic ancestry testing, gene therapy, and elderly skin procedures.

The therapeutic use of engineered living cells has been described as the “3rd pillar of medicine,” following the era of biologics. Kymriah (Tisagenlecleucel) is the first such therapy to earn FDA approval CAR-T cells are manufactured by isolating the patient’s T cells, genetically modifying them to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), and reintroducing them into a patient, where they can persist for years, even decades. Building effective living therapies will require mastery over the design of synthetic regulatory networks (“genetic circuits”)

Synthetic biology could have an annual economic impact of up to $800 billion on consumer goods and services by 2030–2040.

3. Material and energy production

Synbio could also be used to increase the efficiency of clean energy and biofuel production. Microalgae, for example, is being "reprogrammed" to produce clean energy in a cost-effective manner.

This, together with other material and energy improvements enabled by synbio methods, has the potential to have a direct economic impact of up to $300 billion per year.

Below, you can find more examples from different industries that are applying synthetic biology to leverage their solutions and the investment received. Most of these companies have been around for less than 5 years, which shows us the blue ocean they are diving into and the level of maturity this technology has.

The Potential Dangers of Synbio

Although synthetic biology has enormous economic and societal potential, it also poses several risks that must be considered:

• Unintended biological consequences: Any change to a biological system can have far-reaching consequences for ecosystems or species. Lifeform manipulation does not always go as planned.
• Moral concerns: Our values dictate how far we will go with synbio. Some applications, such as embryo editing, are fraught with controversy. If these applications become commonplace, they may have serious societal consequences, such as increased polarization within communities.
• Inequality of access: In wealthy countries, innovation and progress in synbio happen faster than in developing countries. If this trend continues, access to this technology may not be equal throughout the world. We witnessed this access gap during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, with the majority of vaccines administered in developed countries.
• Synbio could be used to recreate viruses or manipulate bacteria to make them more dangerous if used maliciously.
• Another emerging development is Do-It-Yourself Biology, also known as “DIY Bio”. It’s a movement of “citizen scientists” interested in synthetic biology experiments that have become an international phenomenon over the last decade. Often with little prior knowledge of the field, enthusiasts meet in makeshift labs to take crash courses in biotechnology and conduct hands-on experiments. Simple protocols found online and specialized kits costing US$150–US$1,600 have driven the movement’s rapid expansion. DIY Bio labs can be found in most major cities, and by 2017 there were about 168 groups worldwide.

Management of Risk and Reward

Investing in synthetic biologies, like any other emerging field, comes with its own set of risks and challenges. However, many experts believe that the potential rewards are worth the investment. According to Dr. Christina Smolke, a synthetic biology researcher, "synthetic biology is a new era of biological engineering that has the potential to transform how we solve important problems in medicine, energy, and the environment."

The majority of people will have eaten, worn, or been treated by a synthetic biology product. Christopher A. Voigt, by 2030,

The potential impact of synthetic biology on our world is truly awe-inspiring. In just ten years, we can expect to see breakthroughs that we couldn't have even imagined a decade ago. With synthetic biology, we have the power to tackle some of the most pressing global challenges and create a future that is sustainable and equitable for all. Imagine the hope we can give to those suffering from diseases that were once thought to be incurable, the joy of seeing extinct species roam our planet again, and the relief of knowing that we are taking steps to reduce our impact on the environment. The future of synthetic biology is full of endless possibilities, and the potential to change the world is at our fingertips.

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Refereces:

1 - Voigt, C.A. Synthetic biology 2020–2030: six commercially-available products that are changing our world.?Nat Commun 11, 6379 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20122-2

2 - Brooks, S.M., Alper, H.S. Applications, challenges, and needs for employing synthetic biology beyond the lab.?Nat Commun 12, 1390 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21740-0

3 - https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/risks-and-potential-rewards-synthetic-biology