Hi ,

Want the inside scoop on the synthetic biology industry in China? Join me for an interactive webinar with those in the know: Rui Ma, an investor from the Beijing-based Frees Fund VC, Chantal Shen from the BGI, Haotian Guo from Ailurus Bio, and Bruce Li from TJX Bioengineering. Thursday, May 30th, at 8 am PT, 11 am ET, and 11 pm in Shanghai. Register now.

Curious about how the bioeconomy is shaping our future? Join us for an in-depth conversation about the potential of the bioeconomy and the crucial role the government plays in driving this industrial transformation. Date: June 6, 2024. Time: 10 am to 11 am ET (4 pm to 5 pm CET). Register here.

Nominations are now open for Forbes’ inaugural Sustainability Leaders list, which spotlights 50 of the most inspiring leaders worldwide who are catalyzing a sustainable future. The deadline to submit all nominations for the list is 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, June 7, 2024.

This week’s digest is brought to you by Elegen. The company uses a proprietary microfluidics approach to build longer, higher-quality DNA on a faster timeline for agricultural, chemical, healthcare, and pharma industries.

Insights (Exclusive Content):

• The State of AI at SynBioBeta 2024: The latest developments in generative AI and insights from the conference.

Industry News:

• Meatable Appoints Seasoned Industry Veteran as CEO to Spearhead U.S. Market Expansion. The new leader brings over 25 years of experience in the organic and natural meat sector to Meatable—former President and CEO of Tyson Foods added to the Board of Directors as well.

• Detailed Single-Cell Analysis of Xenotransplanted Pig Hearts and Kidneys Into Humans. Two groundbreaking studies from NYU Grossman School of Medicine detail the immune responses at the cellular level in the world's first pig organ transplants into humans. 

• NewMoo Redefines Cheese Production with Plant-Based Innovation. Leveraging plant molecular farming, NewMoo's caseins offer the same taste, texture, and functionality as dairy proteins, ensuring no compromise on quality.

Join us at SynBioBeta 2025 in San Jose, California, from May 5-8, 2025! Our Super Early Bird Pricing is available until this Friday, May 31st, at midnight. Don't miss this exclusive opportunity to delve into the latest advancements in synthetic biology, connect with industry pioneers, and uncover innovative technologies spanning our four diverse conference themes: Human Health, Tools & Technology, Planetary Health, and the Business of Biology & Society.

Additional Industry News:

• A-Alpha Bio lands $14.5M from Department of Defense to prep for future biological threats. The partnership brings together A-Alpha Bio, a Seattle-based spinout of the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington, and the federally funded Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), with support from the DOD. (GeekWire) 

• Meet the founder: Werewool’s Chui-Lian Lee harnesses microbes to create colorful fabrics… without dyes. Werewool is a startup created by Lee and fellow FIT student Valentina Gomez, which engineers microbes to express proteins originally found in coral and other living sources that are inherently colorful. (AgFunder News)

• Provenance Bio Announces Results for Recombinant Protein Demonstrating Cell Adhesion Functionality that Can Replace Animal-Derived Proteins (Press release)

• Legacy US biomanufacturing network unfit for next wave of bioproducts, says Liberation Labs CEO. US biomanufacturing capacity is 40-50 years old and was built for pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and biofuels, says Liberation Labs CEO Mark Warner. (AgFunder News)
  

Regards,

John

Who's hiring?

• Associate Professor – Synthetic Biology (Vashee Lab) at JCVI J. Craig Venter Institute (Rockville, MD)
  

• Research Associate II, Downstream Processing at Antheia (Menlo Park, CA)