SynBio Coalition in Review: Q2 2023
July 18, 2023
SynBio Coalition members share a common goal of garnering greater support and investment in the synthetic biology space from the U.S. government. As this industry coalition works collaboratively to elevate synthetic biology as one of the leading technologies of the 21st century, SBC member companies are simultaneously at the forefront of some of the most innovative and exciting applications of synbio.
Please find a few of the recent milestones and achievements from some of the SynBio Coalition members from the past quarter:
On the blog: Antheia published the remaining blogs in an educational series on synthetic chemistry – you can read parts one, two, and three to learn more about how Antheia leverages synthetic chemistry as a complementary tool to synthetic biology and how both play a critical role in advancing pharma. Additionally, Antheia published a blog on the urgent crisis of drug shortages and the importance of innovative solutions like synbio – as well as policy and legislation – in driving more equitable access to essential medicines.
Industry presence: Alongside several of the SynBio Coalition members, Antheia attended SynBioBeta as a proud sponsor. CEO and co-founder, Christina Smolke presented on the main stage, as well as on an industry panel on the importance of building resilient pharmaceutical supply chains.
In the news: In early April, Antheia announced the appointment of John Nicols to Chair its Board of Directors. Nicols brings over three decades of experience in delivering sustained growth and value creation across diverse global businesses, from cutting-edge biotechnologies to traditional chemistry. Read more about how Nicols will support Antheia’s next stage of growth.
In the news: This May, Checkerspot’s outdoor recreation brand, WNDR Alpine, launched the Phase Series line of performance apparel. The pieces feature miDori® bioWick WA, a 100% petroleum-free wicking finish derived from microalgae instead of fossil fuels. Developed in partnership with Beyond Surface Technologies, miDori® bioWick offers an 80% lower carbon footprint than a traditional wicking finish while retaining competitive performance.
Industry Recognition: Checkerspot’s Pollinator® Kit recently won the Sustainability Award from the 2023 Core77 Design Awards. Core77 recognized the talented design team behind the development of the polyurethane casting kit, as well as the mission to put biobased materials into the hands of designers, prototypers and hobbyists – the change-agents of widespread adoption of renewable materials.
This April, lululemon released its first products made from plant-based nylon, the Swiftly Tech Short Sleeve and the Metal Vent Tech Short Sleeve. These products were made possible through its partnership with Geno where alternative nylon materials derived from sugarcane replaced the conventional petroleum based fabrics. The sustainable switch is part of the retailer’s plans to move its supply chain to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030.
In June, Geno announced the results of a new clinical trial exploring the effects of its functional ketogenic ingredient Avela when consumed in beverage form. The results of the study, published in the peer-reviewed journal, Frontiers in Physiology, underpin Geno’s value to the market that Avela quickly raises BHB levels in the body and sustains them for over 5 hours after three doses. This allows brands to create consumer products that quickly provide benefits of increased mental clarity and athletic endurance, and sustained energy.
Events: In April, Ginkgo hosted its annual Ferment conference, welcoming members from across the synthetic biology ecosystem to Boston. Notable speakers included Director Renee Wegrzyn of ARPA-H, Dr. Megan Frisk of the U.S. Department of State, and more. Watch the event here.
In the news: In June, Ginkgo published its 2022 Sustainability Report, Caring at Ginkgo. The report details Ginkgo’s progress toward addressing global challenges, as well as Ginkgo’s efforts to thoughtfully deploy its platform, build a diverse and inclusive workforce, and continue to foster a culture of employee ownership.
In the news: This quarter, Ginkgo announced several new partnerships including its collaboration with Sensible Biotechnologies to develop an in vivo microbial mRNA manufacturing platform and Boehringer Ingelheim to develop breakthrough therapies for hard-to-treat diseases. Ginkgo also announced a partnership expansion with Centrient Pharmaceuticals following the success of an initial project to bring sustainable innovation to the generic active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) space.
Product launch: In June, Synonym launched Scaler (scaler.bio), its new, free techno-economic analysis tool designed to empower companies using fermentation to project their costs at commercial scale and better understand the factors that will drive the economic success of their innovations. Scaler already has hundreds of users running techno-economic models, including synbio employees, academic researchers, venture investors and more. To learn more about Scaler, check out Synonym’s blog post or this article from Green Queen.
Industry recognition: In July, Synonym passed 3,000 registered users, 41 million liters of capacity inventoried, and 235 facilities uploaded to Capacitor (capacitor.bio), the most comprehensive and free global database of fermentation infrastructure built for companies to find facilities to scale.
Events: In May, several members of Synonym attended the annual SynBioBeta conference in Oakland, CA. Brentan Alexander, Synonym’s Chief Investment Officer, gave a lightning talk previewing Scaler on the main stage and Joshua Lachter, Synonym’s co-founder and Chief Business Officer, also participated in a panel discussion on the main stage sharing his perspective on ways to overcome the biomanufacturing capacity bottleneck.
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