Email of the day - on synthetic biology
Comment of the Day

October 10 2022

Commentary by Eoin Treacy

Email of the day - on synthetic biology

In the section of the Wired article, you post there is this: "...and production is on the cusp of becoming biological". Any ideas what this means? Is it the "synthetic biology" that you refer to in your view?

Eoin Treacy's view

Thank you for this question. Yes, they use some poetic license with the language but what they are talking about is synthetic biology. Most people are familiar with the Human Genome Project. It’s what led to the birth of the genetic revolution which has been underway for the last twenty years.

In 2011, the Synthetic Yeast Genome Project lit a fire under the synthetic biology sector. In 2012, the Human Genome Project 2.0 was an even more ambitious project which seeks to write a human genome from scratch. It seeks to identify exactly what each of the genomes in the human string do. It’ll be minting PhDs from this project for years to come. 

Ultimately, computers will be able to write genetic code and print it with 3D printers. The commercialization of meat production from genetic printing is the most visible use for the technology but it also applicable in everything from energy to materials and healthcare.

Stocks like ABSCI Corp, Codex DNA or Willow Biosciences all advertise their synthetic biology businesses but the shares are all trending lower in a dramatic manner. Autodesk has been developing a synthetic biology sector for several years already. It does not contribute revenue to the company and is unlikely to factor in the performance of the share which is ranging below the 1000-day MA.

Back to top

You need to be logged in to comment.

New members registration