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Synthetic Biology 2018

Trends, opportunities and outlook in engineering new materials

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Synthetic biology can broadly be described as the engineering of biological systems, having been the focus of intense academic research from the early 2000s. Following these early steps, genetic engineering has become increasingly sophisticated, allowing microorganisms to be engineered to produce specific target compounds, known as biomanufacturing. Previously, some of these types of compounds were only accessible through traditional manufacturing processes and a reliance on chemical synthesis or agriculture. However, biomanufacturing has the capability to produce meat without animals, eggs without chickens, fragrances without plants and leather without cows, greatly impacting a wide range of industries. The potential of synthetic biology for biomanufacturing is significant; as a result, the investment into synthetic biology has soared over recent years to a record-breaking $1.7 billion in 2017.
 
Despite the vast sums of capital being directed towards these innovative companies harnessing synthetic biology for biomanufacturing, there remain several key issues still to be addressed such as global regulatory discrepancies and intellectual property disputes surrounding the ownership of CRISPR, the central tool currently available which enables the manipulation of genetic information. Although these controversies remain outstanding, synthetic biology is here to stay, and the range of potential applications is huge.
 
Technology, applications and case studies
In 2018, the range of applications of synthetic biology is tremendously diverse. This report takes an in-depth look into the most commonly encountered key applications, providing detailed case studies of leading edge companies developing the technology. An overview of the latest tools utilised in the field of synthetic biology is provided, with focus on CRISPR, protein and organism engineering and commercial scale fermentation. Furthermore, areas of application that are investigated in the report include engineering biology for specialty chemicals, biobased polymers, human therapeutics, food and beverage products and other agricultural products.
 
Market outlook
This report provides an overview of the investment in synthetic biology to date, a comprehensive insight into the drivers and restraints affecting the engineering of biology for all key application areas discussed and provides case studies and SWOT analyses for the most prolific disrupters developing products which utilise genetically engineered organisms. IDTechEx conducted exhaustive primary research with companies across a range of industries developing synthetic biology for key insights into the drivers and restraints affecting the growth of this technology.
 
Key questions that are answered in this report
  • What is biomanufacturing? Where can it be utilised?
  • What are the tools used to engineer cell factories for biomanufacturing?
  • Who are the key players developing products using biomanufacturing?
  • What are the key drivers and restraints of market growth?
  • How are traditional supply chains being disrupted by synthetic biology?
  • How will investment in synthetic biology evolve from 2018 to 2023?
  • What are the investment shares of those active in the market?
Analyst access from IDTechEx
All report purchases include up to 30 minutes telephone time with an expert analyst who will help you link key findings in the report to the business issues you're addressing. This needs to be used within three months of purchasing the report.
Further information
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1.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1.The Scope of Synthetic Biology is Vast
1.2.Important Societal, Economic and Environmental Factors
1.3.Drivers and Barriers for Adoption of Synthetic Biology
1.4.The Global Differences in Regulation for Genetic Engineering
1.5.2018 is Set to Be Another Record-Breaking Year
1.6.Key Applications
1.7.Key Players in Organism Engineering
1.8.The Outlook for Synthetic Biology in Organism Engineering
1.9.Key Players in Food and Agriculture
1.10.The Outlook for Synthetic Biology in Food and Agriculture
1.11.Key Players in Materials and Consumer Products
1.12.The Outlook for Synthetic Biology in Engineering Materials
1.13.Key Players in Specialty Chemicals
1.14.The Outlook for Synthetic Biology in Specialty Chemicals
1.15.The Range of Biobased Monomers
1.16.A Rapidly Growing but Uncertain Technology
1.17.Suppliers of PHAs
1.18.Applications and Opportunities for PHAs
1.19.Suppliers of Lactide and Poly(lactide)
1.20.Current and Future Applications of Poly(lactide)
1.21.Biobased Polyester Suppliers
1.22.Key Players in Human Therapeutics
1.23.The Outlook for Synthetic Biology in Human Therapeutics
1.24.Synthetic Biology Funding Continues to Increase
1.25.Investment Forecast 2018 - 2023
2.INTRODUCTION
2.1.The Design and Engineering of Biological Systems
2.2.Manipulating the Central Dogma
2.3.The Scope of Synthetic Biology is Vast
2.4.Important Societal, Economic and Environmental Factors
2.5.The Process of Synthetic Biology: Design, Build and Test
2.6.Cell Factories for Biomanufacturing: A Range of Organisms
2.7.Technological Advances Resulting from Synthetic Biology
2.8.Why Now for Synthetic Biology?
2.9.From Pharmaceuticals to Consumer Products
2.10.Disruption of Existing Supply Chains
2.11.Drivers and Barriers for Adoption of Synthetic Biology
3.TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
3.1.1.Outline
3.1.2.The Techniques and Tools of Synthetic Biology
3.1.3.DNA Synthesis
3.1.4.Applications for DNA Synthesis
3.1.5.Twist Bioscience
3.1.6.Gene Editing
3.2.CRISPR-Cas9
3.2.1.What Exactly is CRISPR-Cas9?
3.2.2.CRISPR-Cas9: A Bacterial Immune System
3.2.3.Why is CRISPR-Cas9 so Important for Synthetic Biology?
3.2.4.Who Owns CRISPR-Cas9 and Why is it so Problematic?
3.2.5.An Update on the Ongoing Patent Battle
3.2.6.Commercializing CRISPR-Cas9
3.2.7.Licensing Agreements with Commercial Enterprises
3.2.8.Companies are Finding Ways of Avoiding Royalties
3.2.9.Products Engineered Using CRISPR-Cas9
3.2.10.Clinical Trials Testing CRISPR-Cas9 in Humans Have Started
3.2.11.Alternatives to CRISPR-Cas9 Exist
3.2.12.The Outlook for CRISPR-Cas9
3.3.Protein Engineering
3.3.1.Protein/Enzyme Engineering
3.3.2.Computer-Aided Design
3.3.3.Commercial Examples of Engineered Proteins
3.3.4.Strain Construction and Optimization
3.3.5.Framework for Developing Industrial Microbial Strains
3.3.6.The Problem with Scale
3.3.7.Commercial Examples of Strain Development
3.3.8.Cell-Free Systems
3.3.9.Cell-Free versus Cell-Based Systems
3.3.10.Robotics: Enabling Hands-Free and High-Throughput Science
3.3.11.Robotic Cloud Laboratories
3.3.12.Automating Organism Design and Closing the Loop
3.3.13.Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
4.APPLICATIONS
4.1.Organism Engineering
4.1.1.Key Players in Organism Engineering
4.1.2.Ginkgo Bioworks
4.1.3.Ginkgo's Automated Approach to Strain Engineering
4.1.4.Zymergen
4.1.5.DEINOVE
4.1.6.Arzeda
4.1.7.Arzeda: Computational Design, HTS and Data Science
4.1.8.The Outlook for Synthetic Biology in Organism Engineering
4.2.Food and Agriculture
4.2.1.Key Players in Food and Agriculture
4.2.2.Perfect Day
4.2.3.Impossible Foods
4.2.4.Clara Foods
4.2.5.Geltor
4.2.6.MiraculeX
4.2.7.The Outlook for Synthetic Biology in Food and Agriculture
4.3.Materials and Consumer Products
4.3.1.Key Players in Materials and Consumer Products
4.3.2.Manufacturing Spider Silk
4.3.3.Applications for Spider Silk
4.3.4.Spider Silk Without Spiders
4.3.5.Bolt Threads
4.3.6.Spiber
4.3.7.Kraig Biocraft Laboratories
4.3.8.Modern Meadow
4.3.9.Biofabrication of Leather
4.3.10.A Competitor for Modern Meadow?
4.4.Specialty Chemicals
4.4.1.Key Players in Specialty Chemicals
4.4.2.Metabolic Explorer
4.4.3.Arzeda
4.4.4.Green Biologics
4.4.5.GreenLight Biosciences
4.4.6.Novozymes
4.4.7.The Outlook for Synthetic Biology in Specialty Chemicals
4.5.Biobased Polymers
4.5.1.The Range of Biobased Monomers
4.5.2.A Rapidly Growing but Uncertain Technology
4.5.3.Polyesters
4.5.4.Introduction to Poly(hydroxyalkanoates)
4.5.5.Suppliers of PHAs
4.5.6.PHAs: Microstructures and Properties
4.5.7.Biosynthetic Pathways to PHAs
4.5.8.Applications and Opportunities for PHAs
4.5.9.Polyesters
4.5.10.Introduction to Poly(lactide)
4.5.11.Optimal Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains for Fermentation
4.5.12.Engineering Yeast Strains for Lactic Acid Fermentation
4.5.13.Fermentation, Recovery and Purification
4.5.14.Suppliers of Lactide and Poly(lactide)
4.5.15.Current and Future Applications of Poly(lactide)
4.5.16.Other Biobased Polymers
4.5.17.The Range of Available Biobased Polyesters in 2018
4.5.18.Biobased Polyester Suppliers
4.6.Human Therapeutics
4.6.1.Key Players in Human Therapeutics
4.6.2.Synthetic Biology in Human Therapeutics
4.6.3.Alternative Sources of Therapeutic Proteins
4.6.4.Changing the Microbiome as Therapy
4.6.5.Vedanta Biosciences
4.6.6.Gene and Cell Therapies
4.6.7.Spark Therapeutics
4.6.8.Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy
4.6.9.CAR-T: Companies
4.6.10.Kite Pharma (Gilead Sciences)
4.6.11.The Outlook for Synthetic Biology in Human Therapeutics
5.REGULATION
5.1.Where Regulation is at Currently for Genetic Engineering
5.2.The Global Differences in Regulation for Genetic Engineering
5.3.Area of Genetically Engineered Crops by Country, 2016
5.4.Regulation of Human Gene Editing Varies
5.5.Regulation of Gene and Cell Therapies
5.6.The Growing Concern of Biosecurity
5.7.Policing Synthetic Biology
5.8.Genetically Modified Organisms is NOT the Correct Term
5.9.Learning Lessons from the Past: Golden Rice
5.10.Impact on Economies, and Changing Opinions
5.11.To GM, or not to GM...That is the Question
6.INVESTMENT IN SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
6.1.Synthetic Biology Funding Continues to Increase
6.2.Synthetic Biology Companies Attracted $1.7B Funding in 2017
6.3.2018 is Set to Be Another Record-Breaking Year
6.4.Turning Synthetic Biology into a Global Enterprise
6.5.Investment Forecast 2018 - 2023
7.APPENDIX
7.1.Common Definitions & Acronyms in Synthetic Biology
7.2.List of Abbreviations
 

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Investment in synthetic biology is forecast to reach $23.8 billion in 2023

Report Statistics

Slides 178
Forecasts to 2023
 

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