Algae Biofuels
Synthetic Genomics, Inc. (SGI) [website] located in California U.S.A., is a leader in the genomics revolution. The company was founded in 2005 by genomics pioneers Craig Venter, Ph.D., and Nobel Laureate Hamilton Smith, M.D., shortly after the completion of the Human Genome Project. Since then, scientists and engineers have dramatically improved the accuracy and reduced the cost associated with reading the sequence of DNA code.
In understanding how DNA serves as the universal operating system of life, the founders boldly envisioned the programming of cells to solve some of humanity's largest challenges. The company's innovations have incubated multiple technologies that are now being pursued in spin-out-companies or by our strategic partners.
Today, management builds on its profound genomic expertise to address some of the largest challenges facing humanity: CO2 emissions, pollution and climate change. To combat impending environmental crises, the team is redesigning algae to create scalable biofuels, ultimately providing sustainable transportation solutions with low environmental impact. In partnering with ExxonMobil and its proven record of breakthrough engineering products and large-scale deployment, SGI is able to build a platform that can make a meaningful difference in the world: scalable, sustainable low-carbon biofuels.
SGI is redesigning algae to solve impending global challenges. Providing energy to a growing, more prosperous world - all while being mindful of greenhouse gases - is one of the most important challenges humanity faces for protecting and improving the health of the planet. Having conducted more than a decade of fundamental genomic and algal research, the team has reached the inflection point where its members see the path to a scalable technology.
Sustainable Production
The company is optimizing its algae to produce fats that are the precursors to diesel and jet fuel. Crude oil is a complicated mixture of hydrocarbons, with a varying composition depending on its source, as well as containing heavy metal and sulfur impurities that require extensive refining - SGI's algae primarily make triglycerides similar to the components of conventional vegetable oils that can be readily converted to fuel without the need for extensive processing. It also aims to efficiently utilize the protein and carbohydrate co-products contained in the algal biomass to minimize waste and maximize value.
Ensure ecosystem compatibility
The company's algae are natural strains that have been optimized to enhance biomass and lipid productivity. Cutting-edge science and a deep understanding of genomics have been mobilized to precisely select the algae with optimal genetic makeup. Next, how the improved algae fits with the natural ecosystem is carefully monitored, ensuring ecological harmony. As algae get "fatter" (more oil-rich), they tend to become slower-growing and a more attractive food source for other organisms. To keep the algae thriving, their growth, i.e., the medium and feeding behavior, is carefully managed - ensuring they pose little threat, as they will not compete well outside their protected and managed environment.
SCI has established a deep understanding of microalgae, a versatile and incredibly productive organism, to develop and incubate cutting edge technologies. These technologies can be used in all cell types and have been launched to their next stage of development and implementation.
- Protein-based therapeutics (biologics) generate over $100 billion per year in sales and are primarily manufactured from fermentation using mammalian cells which are presenting cost, quality and efficacy challenges. Cmax, a proprietary microbial host developed by Synthetic Genomics, has the potential to simplify and transform the production of complex protein therapeutics. Synthetic Genomics IP is used by Conagen to deploy the platform commercially.
- SGI developed a proprietary RNA replicon platform to selectively stimulate the immune system and deliver targeted therapies produced within a person's own body. The RNA platform overcomes common shortcomings of traditional replicon and messenger RNA (mRNA) technologies, enabling a new class of vaccines and combination therapies to combat cancer and infectious diseases. The platform has been successfully partnered with leading human and animal health companies.
- Phage therapy has the potential to treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. Engineered phage can solve inherent limitations of natural phage, such as narrow host-range and resistance development. Synthetic Genomics has developed a proprietary bacteriophage engineering platform to address the inherent limitations of natural phage as a therapeutic. Armata Pharmaceuticals is deploying the Synthetic Genomics IP to generate clinical candidates and bacteriophage therapies.
- In partnership with United Therapeutics, Synthetic Genomics developed the capabilities to engineer pig cells with the goal to generate humanized pig organs for transplantation. Based on the IP developed by Synthetic Genomics and its pre-clinical progress, United Therapeutics assumed full control of the program with the goal to generate xenotransplants for the million people in the US alone who have end-stage organ disease.
- SGI developed an automated manufacturing process that significantly reduces the time it takes to create DNA constructs for therapeutic research and development programs, clearing the path for a wide range of research application. What once was time consuming and required ordering from a supplier, the manufacturing of DNA, genes, and DNA libraries, can now be accomplished on a benchtop. At the core of this process is the BioXp, the world's first benchtop DNA printer, an automated instrument that enables biotechnology, pharmaceutical, academic or government laboratories to create DNA from electronically transmitted sequence data. The BioXp is a key product for SGI-DNA, a spinout of SGI.