A new round of biotechnology revolution! Synthetic biology opens the era of creation
Synthetic biology is considered to lead the third biotechnology revolution.“Synthetic biology"Based on genomics, computer design is used to directionally transform cells or living organisms into efficient cell systems, so that they can have biological functions that meet human needs.
At present, synthetic biology has been applied to many sub-sectors such as medical health, chemical industry, energy, materials, food consumption, beauty and skin care, agriculture and so on.. Synthetic biology has great potential for development, as predicted by McKinsey Global Institute.2025In, the economic impact of global synthetic biology and bio-manufacturing will reach.1000Billion dollars.
2017-2024Market size of global synthetic biology segmentation field in
“Creat everything with living things."ofSynthetic biology
In fact, synthetic biology is not a completely new technology, and it has been colorful in the long history.The earliest“Fermentation phenomenon"be calledThe embryonic period of synthetic organisms.selftwentyBeginning in the second half of the century,DNAAfter the discovery of double helix structure, gene sequencing, gene editing and gene synthesis have made great progress.,Humans began to gradually master the technology of directional transformation of living things and put it into practice.commercializationApplication.
Figure:Schematic diagram of synthetic biology
Natural compounds are known as medicines, pesticides, daily chemicals, skin care and health care products.“Natural treasure house"It has many important uses, such as artemisinin, an antimalarial drug, paclitaxel, tanshinone for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, morphine and so on..However, the content of these natural compounds in plants is low, and it is difficult to extract and separate. At the same time, because of its complex structure and difficult chemical synthesis, it has become a bottleneck restricting the further development of the industry. Synthetic biology is considered to be the most potential direction to solve the large-scale production of natural products.
As Dr. Zhou Zhihua, a researcher at the Institute of Botany and a consultant of Biotech, said,“According to the characteristics of synthetic biology production process, synthetic biology is considered as a green, environmentally friendly, efficient, recyclable and renewable production mode. Compared with chemical synthesis process and natural extraction process, it has obvious advantages. Therefore, synthetic biology is considered to be the most potential new technical means to replace mature processes such as chemical synthesis and natural extraction."
Synthetic biologyThe rapid development of synthetic biology can not be separated from the application of key technologies and tools at the bottom, such as gene editing technology and molecular design of enzymes, and it is these technologies and tools that are updated and iterated again and again, which promotes the better and faster development of synthetic biology.
Taking enzyme engineering as an example, enzyme is a catalyst in microorganism, which undertakes the function of substance transformation, and its efficiency is closely related to its structure. Theoretically, any chemical reaction can be catalyzed by enzyme. Enzyme is a kind of protein, which is composed of amino acid residues. Changing amino acid residues can change the structure of the enzyme, thus changing its catalytic activity.
Meifutai biologyCEOLiu XiangIt is considered that the directed evolution technology of enzymes is an important breakthrough in synthetic biology, and it is still in the stage of technological development, which is of great value in realizing the efficient synthesis and transformation of substances. In addition, using artificial intelligence, neural network technology, etc., to simulate the contact between small molecules and enzymes, we can quickly calculate the appropriate positive mutants.Meifutai biologyofZymeEditor™Five core enzyme transformation technologies of intelligent enzyme transformation platform, and the application of these technologies inT7 RNAPolymerase,MMLV Reverse transcriptase andBst DNASuccessful cases in polymerase.
However, it is inevitable that although biosynthesis plays a unique role in the acquisition of natural compounds, it still faces the bottleneck of industrial development. Dr. Zhou Zhihua emphasized that,“Synthetic organismIt is not a very simple process as imagined.“Transgene, cultivate a strain, ferment and extract."However, in the case that the technology is not fully mature, it is necessary to repeatedly try and make mistakes until the optimal scheme is found. It is necessary to think globally and consider the upstream strain design, midstream fermentation separation and extraction, downstream product modification and so on. Among the hundreds of thousands of natural compounds reported at present, only about five thousandths have been applied, and a large number of natural compounds are still only known in their structures and have not been well applied."
When referring to the development of synthetic biology in China, Dr. Zhou Zhihua said frankly,“From a global perspective, China’s synthetic biology started late, but it did not lag behind Europe and America. In basic research, the development of synthetic biology in China is almost neck and neck with that in the world.recent yearsIn recent years, because of being sought after by the capital market, domestic synthetic biology startups have mushroomed, and the domestic support for synthetic biology industry is also increasing."
Similarly, inLiu XiangIt seems that synthetic organisms are still in the early stage of explosion, and some key technologies still limit the successful industrialization of synthetic organisms. Although the capital market has declined slightly, in the long run, both the scientific and technological circles, the capital circles and governments have seen the great potential of synthetic organisms.
Represented by Zhangjiang, ChinaSynthetic biology“may be triggered off at any moment"
It is reported that in the 14 th Five-Year Plan, biotechnology is clearly defined as“strategic emerging industries".2020In, the National Development and Reform Commission proposed to support the construction of synthetic biology technology innovation centers in Guiding Opinions on Expanding Investment in Strategic Emerging Industries and Cultivating Growth Poles of New Growth Points, and many governments in Beijing, Jiangsu, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Tianjin successively issued landing policies to support the development of synthetic biology industries.
At present, the technical sources and industrial gathering places of synthetic biology in China are mainly concentrated in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta and Greater Bay Area. Among them, Shanghai is in synthetic biology and related industries.“home"Many projects in this field have been born.“The first"or“first"It has a good foundation for the development of synthetic biology and has the ecological advantages of the whole industry chain. At present, Shanghai has also drawn an industrial map of synthetic biology and put forward synthetic biology.“1+3+1”Development strategy, that is, building“1A network", organically integrate peak talents, major infrastructure and key laboratories into a Zhang Hecheng biological innovation resource network; aim at“3Dayuling"Focus on promoting the development and application of synthetic biology in biomedicine, advanced materials, energy and environmental protection and consumer goods; forge“1A goal", comprehensively promote Shanghai to become a world-class innovative industrial cluster of synthetic biology with leading basic research and development, active innovation and transformation, vigorous development of industrial subjects and sound industrial ecology.
Recently, the Zhangjiang Synthetic Biology Innovation Center in Zhangjiang Gene Island, Shanghai International Medical Park, which was jointly built and transported by Zhangjiang Group and Academician Zhao Guoping, a leading figure in synthetic biology in China, is2023The Zhangjiang Life Science International Innovation Summit was officially unveiled. The innovation center integrates innovation incubation, technology platform, product transformation, angel investment, supervision science, exhibition and exchange, etc. to explore together.“Take technical service as the guide, incubation service as the blessing, angel investment as the link and supervision science as the support."A new model of cultivating and empowering synthetic organisms based on.
Specifically, the center will be guided by technical services and built.oneA biological foundry; With incubation service as a blessing, buildoneA professional incubator; Take angel investment as a link to buildoneAn angel investment fund; Supported by regulatory science, establishoneSet of mechanisms to help research and audit linkage.
Wang Kairong, deputy general manager of Zhangjiang Group and chairman of Shanghai International Medical Park Group Co., Ltd., pointed out that Zhangjiang, as a national biomedical innovation highland and a gathering area of Shanghai life science industry, has basically complete synthetic biological industry elements, involving different types of enterprises and institutions such as product type, platform type, technology type and scientific research type, and has formed a relatively complete ecological industrial chain.
All in all,Synthetic biologyHavehugeThe marketcapacity. With the development of technology,In the future, synthetic organisms will develop in a systematic direction, and it is expected to achieve low-cost and high-efficiency production of various compounds in an all-round way. Mckinsey predicts that the future of global material production60%And global disease treatment45%Finally, it may be solved by synthetic biology.