Hi ,

This week’s newsletter is bringing you news and updates about Inscripta, Ginkgo Bioworks, and the Brooklyn-based startup Melonfrost, among others. But that’s not all: keep reading to learn about a genetically engineered superplant that can purify air in your home and CRISPR gene edited fish that could soon make it to your dinner table.

• Brooklyn evolution startup Melonfrost raises $7 million to make more microbes. Growing microbes for applications ranging from food to therapeutics all face a key challenging — engineering novel optimized strains at scale. Brooklyn-based start-up Melonfrost aims to change this paradigm by harnessing the power of evolution.

Machine learning scientists meeting in the office (Melonfrost).

• Inscripta is reimagining what the synthetic biology company of the future will be: "There is a growing confidence in the market potential and the market opportunity across many different sectors," said CEO Sri Kosaraju, as the company pivots from being a technology provider to manufacturing bio-based products.

Inscripta’s team in front of the company’s office in Pleasanton, CA.

• Ginkgo Bioworks fires up its Bio Foundry to take on the billion-dollar enzyme market: Enzymes are a multi-billion dollar market and growing. But engineering enzymes is not an easy task. Ginkgo Bioworks has just launched its end-to-end enzyme service to help companies outsource their enzyme R&D efforts.

Ginkgo Bioworks banner on the façade of the New York Stock Exchange building.

• The future of single-cell microfluidics in cell engineering: Richard Hammond, chief technical officer at Sphere Fluidics, writes "Single-cell microfluidic-based techniques continue to be a key enabling technology for cell engineering as they allow true single-cell level working, with the associated precision of measurement and control of environment, and a high level of automation."
• Opening the doors to biological research: A new student organization at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) wants to make it easier for undergraduates to get involved with biological research.
• The BioBuilder Educational Foundation initiates plan to train bioeconomy workforce. BioBuilder’s next phase is to develop a plan to grow the bioeconomy workforce across the USA, while still considering local contexts.

Last chance to submit your abstract for our Digital Poster Session at SynBioBeta 2023: The Global Synthetic Biology Conference. Remember, this is a great opportunity to share your work with the global community of researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors in synthetic biology. Please submit our application form before February 1st.

SynBioBeta 2023 speakers:

• Tim Kopra is the CEO of Nanoracks, a global leader for providing commercial space services.

• Erika Wagner is Blue Origin’s sales and strategy lead for the new Orbital Reef commercial space station.

• Martine Rothblatt is the CEO of United Therapeutics, a company with five approved products on the market, and a long-term mission of providing an unlimited supply of transplantable organs for those who need them.

• Craig Venter is CEO of JCVI, a research organization dedicated to human, microbial, synthetic, and environmental genomic research, and the exploration of social and ethical issues in genomics.

SynBioBeta 2023 Sponsors/Exhibitors/Partners:

• BiomEdit is an innovation company that discovers, designs, and develops novel probiotics, microbiome derived bioactives, and engineered microbial medicines to address unmet needs in animal health.

• The California Biomanufacturing Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supporting industry development and workforce and training.

• BCG X unites tech builders, designers, and entrepreneurs with the world's leading talent in AI, deep tech, digital growth, sustainability, and more.

• DNA Script was created to revolutionize DNA synthesis with enzymes. Their core R&D efforts have produced innovations in enzyme engineering, surface and nucleotide chemistries, and instrumentation.

• Hudson Robotics produces robotic instruments to solve specific lab automation needs in the areas of microplate and liquid handling.

• Swissnex is the Swiss global network connecting Switzerland and the world in education, research and innovation.

Consumer news

• Bioengineered "superplant" could soon be purifying the air in your home: Created by Neoplants, the Neo P1 is a genetically engineered type of pothos, a plant which is already known to be good at removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air.
• How CRISPR is making farmed animals bigger, stronger, and healthier: These gene-edited fish, pigs, and other animals could soon be on the menu.

Health news

• The next giant step for microbes: A microbiome therapy is approved by the FDA for treatment of Clostridioides difficile. What’s next?
• Next up for CRISPR: Gene editing for the masses? Last year, Verve Therapeutics started the first human trial of a CRISPR treatment that could benefit most people—a signal that gene editing may be ready to go mainstream.
• Bioengineering research has the means to address key global health challenges. What are the areas in which bioengineering solutions could have the biggest impact?
• Pulmobiotics highlights Nature Biotechnology publication of preclinical data demonstrating clearance of antibiotic-resistant lung infection.
  

Regards,
John

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John Cumbers
Founder, SynBioBeta

Who's hiring?

• Scientist – Fermentation, Concerto Biosciences, Cambridge, MA
  
• Program Manager at ARPA-H, Flexible in the U.S.
• Director of Content‍, SynBioBeta, Flexible in the U.S.
• Senior Sales Manager, SynBioBeta, Flexible in the U.S.
• Sales Associate, SynBioBeta, Flexible in the U.S.
• Special Projects, Colorifix, England

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