Hi ,

MyForest Foods Co. Announced It Has Raised $15 million in Series A-2 Funding to support its next chapter of growth and further bring its hero product, MyBacon, to more consumers across the East Coast. The round was led by MyForest Foods’ parent company, Ecovative Design. (Vegconomist)

Eben Bayer and Paul Stamets at SynBioBeta 2023.

• Unilever and Arzeda use AI to develop performance-boosting enzymes in record time for Unilever's Home Care Products. The new enzymes, which boost cleaning performance at low temperatures, were developed five times faster than previous enzyme development in just 18 months. (Arzeda; Unilever)

• LabDAO is Charting the Future of Open-Source AI for Drug Discovery: As a part of our continued coverage of the decentralized science, or “DeSci” movement, learn about LabDAO’s recent funding announcement and new software tool for open-source drug design. Based on their existing suite of BioML tools, PLEX is LabDAO’s latest open-source tool on the command line to bring engineering biology closer to home. (Forbes)

LabDAO Core Team member Lily Hansen-Gillis.

• The Greatest Challenges Facing Synthetic Biology Are No Longer Technical. SynBioBeta 2023 marked the transition of synthetic biology from a technology to a product. That transition is complex, especially when the ultimate customer is you. (SynBioBeta)

• 4 Takeaways from SynBioBeta 2023: "Though I can’t convey every incredible story shared by scientists, entrepreneurs, thinkers, and creatives in attendance, I wanted to share four of my takeaways from synthetic biology’s flagship event," writes Christopher J. Fisher. (LinkedIn)

• Space Health: Solving Challenges in Space to Address Cancer Prevention and Longevity on Earth. Dorit Donoviel from the Translational Research Institute for Space Health at Baylor College of Medicine gives a wonderful presentation on how synthetic biology can improve life in space and here on Earth. (Verge Scientific)

Other news:

• SNIPR Biome Sees Positive Results for First-In-Human CRISPR Microbial Gene Therapy. CRISPR-based microbial gene therapy company SNIPR Biome ApS has announced positive interim clinical results from its phase 1 clinical trial with SNIPR001. (Labiotech)

• Absci Evolves its Board of Directors with HealthTech Luminary Frans van Houten, Former CEO of Philips. “What motivates me most about Absci's mission is the prospect of accelerating the development of breakthrough therapies, together with pharma and biotech companies, that can make a meaningful impact on patients' lives,” says Frans van Houten. (Absci)

• AgBiome Leverages Ginkgo Strain Optimization Services to Optimize Agricultural Biological Pipeline. AgBiome aims to provide growers with new and improved live microbial strain products by leveraging Ginkgo's ultra-high throughput encapsulated screening capabilities. (Ginkgo Bioworks)

• Synlogic Announces Initiation of Synpheny-3 Global, Pivotal Phase 3 Study Evaluating SYNB1934 for Treatment of Phenylketonuria. Synlogic designed SYNB1934 to target and consume Phe in the GI tract by applying precision genetic engineering to a well-characterized probiotic. (Synlogic)

• Can Microbes Save the Planet? As scientists learn how newly discovered microbes respond to pollutants or plastics, it becomes possible to harness these pathways and engineer microbial communities at scale. (Nature)

• Meatable CEO: ‘We believe we have the fastest process in the field to make cultivated meat.’ The Dutch startup has slashed production times for cultivated pork, dramatically speeding up the process and transforming its unit economics. (AgFunderNews)

• Cultivated Meat: Foodtech Fantasy or the Future of Meat? “None of this stuff makes any commercial sense until everyone’s eating it,” says Dave Humbird. (AgFunderNews)

• Algae’s Second Bloom? “Resiliency and productivity are key,” say second-generation startups. (AgFunderNews)

Regards,
Jeff

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Jeff Buguliskis, PhD 

Director of Content, SynBioBeta

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