Hi ,

Congratulations to Paul Stamets for being selected as one of 10 Environmental heroes who are saving the planet. He is reshaping environmental sustainability through the extraordinary potential of fungi. Stamets' ground-breaking work explores the myriad ways in which mushrooms can be harnessed to address pressing ecological issues, from pollution control to pest management. He will be speaking more about it at SynBioBeta 2024.

Paul Stamets speaking at SynBioBeta.

In other news, the UK’s Science, Research, and Innovation Minister Andrew Griffith announced their national vision for engineering biology, setting out the government's £2 billion plan to seize the potential of engineering biology.

Absci announced a collaboration with AstraZeneca to deliver an AI-designed antibody against an oncology target. The partnership combines Absci’s AI antibody drug creation platform with AstraZeneca’s oncology research and development expertise.

I met with Sean recently and discussed some of this with him and more in my latest podcast. Make sure to take a listen!

(AI Image Created by DALL-E)

Insights:

• Synthetic Biology’s Miracle Milk: TurtleTree wants to revolutionize dairy, starting with lactoferrin—a high-value healthy kick...minus the hoof. Fengru Lin, co-founder and CEO of TurtleTree, will join us at SynBioBeta2024, May 6-9 in San Jose, CA!

• What’s the Connection Between SynBio and Neurotech, Really? Fiona Mischel sat down with Amy Kruse, General Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Satori Neuro, to better understand the synbio-neurotech connection and explore what these two fields could create. Amy is our SynBioBeta2024 Trach Chair for Neurotech and will guide the session discussions for that track. 

• Harnessing Environmental Biodiversity for Synthetic Biology: Biodiversity has provided synthetic biologists with tools, genes, and pathways for decades. But now, biodesigners use nature to learn how to design the biotech strains of the future.

Industry News:

• Meet Anthrobots, Your Body's New Biological Repair Crew. Created from just a single human donor cell, these small-scale biobots offer remarkable healing effects and a glimpse into regenerative medicine's future.

• The Molecular Maestro: Synthetic Poly(ADP-Ribose) and Its Promises. Researchers develop synthetic versions of poly(ADP-ribose), a molecule key to cell growth and genetic protection, opening doors to new medical treatments.

• The ‘COMPASS’ That’s Aiding Pepper Bio's Innovative Drug Discovery Route. With $6.5M in seed funding and its innovative COMPASS platform, Pepper Bio looks to map the complex biology of diseases to accelerate drug development.

• Reset Pioneering Gene-Editing Firm Eligo Bioscience Raises $30M for Genetic Medicines: The successful Series B funding round, led by Sanofi Ventures, marks a significant step towards becoming a clinical-stage biotech company.

Other news:

• bitBiome Expands Global Commercial Team with Two Key Hires: The company develops a presence in The Americas and Europe led by Howard Pollack as Vice President of Business Development and Laura Shelton, Ph.D., Senior Manager of Business Development and Marketing. (Press release)

• Evonetix Announces Agreement for Revolutionary Gene Synthesis Platform with Analog Devices. This new technology will improve the quality, speed, and cost of developing synthetic biological solutions such as life-saving vaccines, medicines, treatments, and therapies. (Press release)

• Azolla Inc., a climate tech startup based in Oakland, CA, with promising technology to decarbonize various industrial sectors, including developing sustainable bio-based products, has just reached its first funding milestone on Wefunder-Azolla.

Regards,

John

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John Cumbers

CEO, SynBioBeta

Who's hiring?

• Strain Engineer (Postdoc or Intern) at Industrial Microbes (Alameda, CA)

• Digital Marketing Manager at Elegen (Remote)