Hi ,

Filmmaker Scott Hamilton Kennedy is launching SHOT IN THE ARM, a documentary about the complex and intertwined worlds of public health, vaccines, vaccine safety, and the search for truth. They open in NYC on 11/3 and LA on 11/17. Tickets are available at the Angelika Film Center and the Laemmle!

Here’s a photo of me with Neil deGrasse Tyson and Scott Hamilton Kennedy at the Food Evolution screening.

A new report by NTI recommends urgent steps to safeguard rapidly advancing AI-bioscience technologies. The new paper released by UK PM Rishi Sunak in advance of the UK AI Safety Summit includes several references to the report on The Convergence of AI and the Life Sciences. Sean McClain, CEO of Absci, joined the Senate AI Insight Forum last week, and the White House has released a new executive order on AI.

Photo by Sean McClain, CEO of Absci.

Additionally, in a recent Nature article by Caroline Seydel (“DNA writing technologies moving toward synthetic genomes”), she goes in-depth to describe the technologies that have evolved to allow more accessibility to DNA synthesis, as well as how regulatory bodies are preparing to implement measures to prevent potential misuse or unethical applications of synthetic DNA.

This week, I spoke with Ursheet Parikh, a general partner at Mayfield Fund, about the state of the synthetic biology market and what startups can do to survive and thrive in this turbulent economy.

Join us for SynBioBeta 2024: The Global Synthetic Biology Conference, an unparalleled four-day summit delving into synthetic biology. Register now.

Insights:

• Are American Pharmas Falling Behind on AI? Even as large language models, such as ChatGPT, augment our daily lives, another kind of revolution is taking place across human health.

• Precision Cell Programming in the Quest to Cure Rare Diseases. Using bit.bio’s opti-ox neurons, startup Everlum Bio is on the cusp of treating some of the rarest genetic diseases.

• Phages and Synthetic Biology Team Up to Tackle Antimicrobial Resistance. Engineered phages offer several promising approaches to treating antimicrobial-resistant infections, yet manufacturing them is tricky.

Industry News:

• Innovation in Bloom: Cambrium’s €8 Million Seed to Sow Sustainable Molecules. Cambrium, a synthetic biology startup based in the German capital, announces it has secured €8 million in seed financing.

• Gene Therapy Approach REVeRTing the Script on Hereditary Disease Treatment: REVeRT holds potential for various genetic and acquired diseases, including common blood disorders and age-related afflictions.

• The Brain-Computer Interface Giving an ALS Patient a Voice and Control. Though Tim Evans' speech might be slow and often challenging for most to decode, there's a beacon of hope on his horizon: a brain-computer interface (BCI).

• Biofuel and Bioproduct Generation Boosted with Engineered Enzymes. The energy wizards over at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have delved deep into the biological alchemy of turning grass into gold - or, more precisely, into biofuels.

• Pioneering Yeast-Based RNA Delivery Technology Secures Chinese Patent: Renaissance BioScience Corp. has secured a patent from the China patent office for its unique yeast-based platform that focuses on the production and delivery of RNA bioactive molecules. 

• Biohybrid Brilliance: Crafting Quick-Charging, Eco-Friendly Batteries.  Pioneering the next wave of energy innovation, a Chinese research team unveils a rapid-charging hybrid battery that seamlessly marries electrochemical processes with microbial fuel cells.

Other news:

• Solugen and ADM Announce Strategic Partnership to Meet Increasing Demand for Sustainable Products with New Biomanufacturing Facility in the U.S. Midwest. (Press release)

• Would you drink genetically modified beer? Charles Denby is the co-founder and chief executive of Berkeley Yeast, one of the leading creators of genetically modified yeast for the brewing industry. (BBC)

• Renee Wegrzyn Plans to Level Up U.S. Health with ARPA-H: As head of the government’s new federal agency, she’s attacking a wide range of problems from the molecular to the societal. (proto.life)

• Engine Biosciences Secures $27 Million Series A Extension to Advance Development of Precision Oncology Medicines and Novel Biomarkers for Patient Selection (Press release)
  

• Minority/Women in STEM Scholarship: This scholarship aims to support underprivileged students who are interested in pursuing careers in STEM. (Bold.org)

• Prime Medicine Presents First In Vivo Prime Editing Data to Treat Ophthalmological Diseases (GEN)

• Laverock Therapeutics secures Innovate UK award to advance immune effector cell therapeutics program using GEiGS® technology (Press release)

• Codagenix Receives Additional Award from US Department of Defense to Advance Development of Dengue Vaccine (Press release)

• Concentric by Ginkgo Partners with Penn State University on Zoonotic Disease Biosurveillance Research Supported by USDA Grant (Press release)

• Lab-grown leather scales up as Gozen raises $3.3M from Happiness Capital, SOSV, and others (TechCrunch)

• Algenesis Secures $5M to Produce at Scale Biodegradable Plastic Made From Algae (Vegconomist)

• Bio-based manufacturing in Scotland: A new £7 million funding opportunity dedicated to Scotland’s industrial biotechnology sector through the Launchpad. (Gov.uk)

Regards,

John

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John Cumbers

CEO, SynBioBeta

Who's hiring?

• Analytical Scientist at Industrial Microbes (Alameda, CA)

• Marketing Director at SynBioBeta (Global)

• Research Associate, Molecular Biology & Strain Improvement at Checkerspot (Alameda, CA)

• Bioprocess Scientist at Peptobiotics (Singapore)