Medgadget
via Synthetic Biology Accelerator Program Debuts.
“The best examples of disruptive technologies that could change our future are in the new fields of synthetic biology, synthetic genomics, and genome engineering,” explained famed genomicist Craig Venter in BBC’s 2007 Richard Dimbleby Lecture. It’s not hard to see why the man who helped sequence the first human genome would be enthusiastic about the prospects of synthetic genomics. But just imagine the possibility of using synthetic DNA to create custom microorganisms that could produce essentially any compound possible. This futuristic scenario might not be as far removed from the present as we think, according to Venter, who was the subject of a recent profile in The New York Times titled “Craig Venter’s Bugs Might Save the World.”
To advance the nascent field of synthetic biology, Singularity University (Mountain View, CA) has hooked up with Triple Ring Technologies (Newark, CA) to launch the incubator known as SynBio Startup Launchpad. The organization, which is modeled in part after Y Combinator (Mountain View, CA) seed accelerator, has chosen three startups to be incubated: Evolutionary Solutions, Soil Gene, and Modern Meadow.