Synthetic Biology
The tools and capabilities of synthetic biology are revolutionizing science and medicine by enabling the targeted design, engineering and construction of biological systems. Now researchers can even print genomic sequences and pathways that will help to address life’s most challenging questions.
Emailing medicine and even organisms across the planet, and potentially across the solar system may be possible with a new device developed by Synthetic Genomics. The company founded by J. Craig Venter, the geneticist behind the first successful human genome sequencing and many other biotech breakthroughs.
The new tabletop device is called the Digital-to-Biological Converter, or DBC under the tradename BioXp. The machine accepts digital representations of DNA over the internet and reconstructs them on the spot using the chemical building blocks of life—adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine.
It is the the world’s first DNA printer, a machine which will allow any biotechnology company or academic laboratory to create genes, genetic elements and molecular tools on their benchtop hands-free, starting with electronically transmitted sequence data. The device is set to dramatically improve the workflow for applications such as protein production, antibody library generation and cell engineering, says Synthetic Genomics.
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Julie Robinson, SGI-DNA, a Synthetic Genomics, Inc. (SGI) company, Senior Product Manager stated in a press release for the device that, "In just 9 months, since the BioXp™ System was first launched, SGI-DNA is delivering on its stated plan to expand instrument capabilities. Our more than 25 life science research laboratory customers throughout the United States can upgrade their systems seamlessly over the internet without any hardware changes. This scalable design is at the heart for the BioXp™system. By launching the cloning module SGI-DNA is moving from early access to full launch of the BioXp™ 3200 System."The BioXp allows scientists to automate cloning 32 synthetic genes directly in a vector of up to 12 kb in a single hands-free overnight run. This capability allows much greater versatility for downstream applications. The BioXp System utilizes the Gibson Assembly method to provide seamless, high efficiency cloning.
The BioXp could allow what Venter has called biological teleportation where, "You will be able to download insulin from the internet" and new diseases will be sequenced and cured in hours with the treatments dispersed digitally."
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