Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #synbio
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So Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit quoted my post on the reaction to my cultivated meat story. instapundit.com/565338/
Once solidly dynamist, Glenn is now 80% culture warrior. So his reaction is:
Once solidly dynamist, Glenn is now 80% culture warrior. So his reaction is:
"In an ideal world, where we could talk about this sort of thing on its own merits and in a generally good-faith manner — like the world we at least thought we lived in back in the ’90s — things would be different. But we don’t live in that world now."
The comments reinforce that conviction. But if you want to live in a world where ideas are debated on their own merits and in a good-faith manner, you have to behave that way yourself, despite the powerful cultural and economic incentives not to.
In #JPM2023 news, $TWST Twist Biosciences also presented on Monday, and here are some highlights of their presentation: first slide is the obligatory comparison between Twist 1M oligos per chip technology compared to the plate-based methods. 
Their #SynBio revenue is still growing, but proportionally less than the #NextGenerationSequencing segment and the #Biopharma segments.
They have a new factory which they expect to start shipping products in January 2023 (now!) and would mean doubling up their current capacity.
If you are looking for cheap biotech ideas, I suggest looking to these key themes. I call them my technology of the future themes. I will even throw in some names. Just be sure to do your own DD as this is spec biotech which is risky.
What is #SynBio
Synthetic Biology requires many sciences. Its about taking a cell, whether it be a yeast cell, a bacteria or a human cell, and reprogramming it to create life with completely new functions.
Synthetic Biology requires many sciences. Its about taking a cell, whether it be a yeast cell, a bacteria or a human cell, and reprogramming it to create life with completely new functions.
1/ With synthetic biology, we treat the DNA as if it were the software that runs a cell. If we rewrite that program, we can make the cell do anything we want. It requires vast knowledge of how DNA works and how cells signal and respond to signals from the environment.
2/ This treats the Cell signaling like the inputs or outputs on your phone. You input data by typing on the keyboard. You get outputs from Youtube when you play a video. In the same way, we can recode the DNA of cell to respond to and output the signals we want.
The #SynBio Report
I am going to build this thread as I go. There are not a lot of companies in the Synthetic Biology space yet. It is good to get up to date with them before new ones come into the space.
I am going to build this thread as I go. There are not a lot of companies in the Synthetic Biology space yet. It is good to get up to date with them before new ones come into the space.
1/ Gingko Bioworks $DNA
I think this is the top Synthetic Biology company working on 2 platforms. The first is #Biosercurity. This was born form the Covid pandemic and is one of the most important issues of our time.
I think this is the top Synthetic Biology company working on 2 platforms. The first is #Biosercurity. This was born form the Covid pandemic and is one of the most important issues of our time.
2/ The Covid pandemic has shown us how woefully unprepared we are for the next pandemic. We live in the age where anyone can create a bioweapon that could wipe out half the world. Biosecurity is the biggest new area of national defense.
The Private Company #CRISPR Report
I am going to build this thread going through the private CRISPR companies. This includes the few that I do know and like. I know there are more out there. I will add them as I discover them and take time to look over their science.
I am going to build this thread going through the private CRISPR companies. This includes the few that I do know and like. I know there are more out there. I will add them as I discover them and take time to look over their science.
1/ Mammoth Biosciences
This is my top pick of the private companies should they go public. I think they are gearing up for an IPO. The success of the $PRME IPO might bring them to the market quicker.
This is my top pick of the private companies should they go public. I think they are gearing up for an IPO. The success of the $PRME IPO might bring them to the market quicker.
2/ They have 2 platforms based off CRISPR technology. The first uses CAS enzymes for DNA or RNA as a Diagnostic tool. They take the guide RNA for the sequence they wish to find. They include a reporter strand that matches the DNA sequence they want to find.
10 years ago tonight: the ending of @ZEDtoronto and the collapse of the @ByoLogyc future scenario. A(-?) 🧵... or more accurately:🧶
How strange it is to be nearing the end of 2022... one decayed-decade on from the synthetic biology cargo cult that was @ByoLogyc: a company from the future brought to life in the world of 2012.
#PersistencePotentialPerfection
#PersistencePotentialPerfection
For me, creating *actual real-world experiences* for *real human people* around dystopian-but-desirable future technology brands (@ByoLogyc being the most fully realized example) became award-winning research in Strategic Foresight @OCAD/@OCADU_SFI (Thanks @gregvan @CodeZebra)
How does transcription of proximal genes influence the expression of their neighbors? How do we engineer compact circuit designs for specific profiles of expression that enable robust cellular engineering? Today @CellReports we provide some answers (1 /n) tinyurl.com/24vtfbyw
We integrated DNA biophysics with classic #synbio and stochastic simulations to explore how to optimize the expression levels, variance, and dynamic response of transgenic systems. We found that supercoiling-mediated feedback significantly influences these behaviors! (2/n)
As RNAP transcribes, it generates a wave of overwound DNA (+ supercoiling) ahead & leaves a wake of underwound DNA (- supercoiling). Accumulated supercoiling both reshapes the RNAP binding energy landscape and can stall polymerases, creating supercoiling-mediated feedback! ( 3/n)
Proud to announce that my first first-author paper is online! We (@Taylor_Lab_Cam, @PhilHolliger and our co-workers) demonstrate how a novel engineered polymerase unlocks efficient synthesis and evolution of therapeutic 2'-modified nucleic acids.
nature.com/articles/s4155…
🧵(1/n)
nature.com/articles/s4155…
🧵(1/n)
Almost twenty nucleic acid therapeutics have been approved for use in the clinic. Antisense oligos are synthesised by solid-phase synthesis, which is efficient but costly, limited to short oligomers and hard to scale up to large numbers of sequence or chemistry variants. (2/n)
Discovery might be accelerated by tools for the rapid synthesis of many variants: polymerases. Also, for antisense therapeutics (obvious sequence), rational design is feasible, but for therapeutic modalities like aptamers, polymerases enabling in vitro evolution are needed. (3/n)
Looking at a little Strategy: 🧵
I hope putting out my game plan will help other get ideas on how to do a strategy for investing to maximize returns.
I hope putting out my game plan will help other get ideas on how to do a strategy for investing to maximize returns.
1/ I am finally getting comfortable with my strategy. I have a set amount now that I am contributing to each of my portfolios for #biotech, #tech and #crypto. My plan is to use the any rallies to fade some of the companies I want get rid of that disappointed me.
2/ Then I want to use that cash to accumulate more of the companies I like. The max tax loss I can take for a year about $3,000. That would reduce my taxes and get me back about 25% or $750 in tax savings. It will work out like getting some cash back on those losers.
1/X Why $AMRS owns the #Synbio👑and $DNA needs a telescope to see them.
$DNA is valued at 3x $AMRS while both have comparable revenue levels and 75% of $DNA's revs relate to Covid testing which is not relevant for the long term story.
$DNA is valued at 3x $AMRS while both have comparable revenue levels and 75% of $DNA's revs relate to Covid testing which is not relevant for the long term story.
2/X Key difference is that $AMRS takes control of entire value chain from R&D to manufacturing to end product marketing (vertical approach), while $DNA focuses on R&D, i.e. designing metabolic pathway & letting partners/customers do the rest (horizontal).
3/X For $AMRS, the molecule is the product, for $DNA it is the (yeast) strain.
$DNA's horizontal approach is supposed to be a strength vs. $AMRS by freeing resources for what supposedly matters most. Reasoning that is deeply flawed. It assumes that $DNA is/will be better in R&D.
$DNA's horizontal approach is supposed to be a strength vs. $AMRS by freeing resources for what supposedly matters most. Reasoning that is deeply flawed. It assumes that $DNA is/will be better in R&D.
The most impressive science in biotech right now is:
1. #iPSC
2. #AI/#ML in biotech
3. #SynBio
4. #CRISPR
5. #TPD
1. #iPSC
2. #AI/#ML in biotech
3. #SynBio
4. #CRISPR
5. #TPD
#iPSC has to be doing some of the most amazing science in the entire sector right now. The funny part is they don't get all the hype as the other hot science spaces. They are completely engineering cells that have many new functions and remove many old functions.
They are making all kinds of cells from stem cells into eye, heart, liver, pancreas and immune cells. They don't get much love because of the bad data of the allogeneic CAR-T programs, but some of these companies are completely disruptive.
1/ My new home @future just turned 1 🎉! Some thoughts on why I’m so excited about Future, by way of sharing a few of my favorite articles we’ve published so far. 🧵
2/ My colleagues share my optimistic outlook but get that building a better future won’t be easy. Many of my favorites tap into a common theme: science is integral to creating a better world, only if we (scientists) embrace new technologies and explore radical ideas, e.g.
3/ Science is slow, but it doesn’t have to be. One of the things slowing science down is the archaic process of funding science. Begging for #grants takes huge chunks of researcher time, decisions take months, and decision-makers are often risk-averse.
When I look at $DNA, I see 2 companies with the #Synbio side and the #Biosecurity. I know many people dismiss the biosecurity which is over 50% of the current revenues. They mostly come from Covid screening. You got to think that a cut in funding will impact these sales.
In the long term, I think biosecurity is a key strategy as $DNA is one of the only companies working on solutions to a problem that is being completely ignored. The biggest threat to the global economy is now bioterrorism.
Although Biosecurity revenues in the near term might come under pressure, I think the need for them will grow over time. Not for just monitoring infectious disease, but as a security measure to our way of life.
Let us take a look at $TWST and some #Synbio.
Twist is the #DNA company. They break themselves into 4 different segments with #Synbio, #NGS, #Biopharma, and #Storage.
Twist is the #DNA company. They break themselves into 4 different segments with #Synbio, #NGS, #Biopharma, and #Storage.
The first segment is Synthetic Biology. This is what I call the Mail Order DNA business. Many companies need DNA for developing therapies like cell engineering or gene therapies. Many of these DNA strands can be synthesized for just a few cents per base.
This won't be a huge money maker as they can ship hundreds of thousands of DNA sequences a year for just a few dollars per. It is the back bone of their sales, and its still growing nicely. Its the cash cow that will fund the future developments which can be big winners.
1/ I have been spending a lot of time with the market selling off trying to share and teach about investing and how to build a portfolio to diversify across assets and risks.
2/ I think its good to take time when the market is down to focus on improving our game for the next time around. Since I am a biotech focused investor, I would like to share with you the trends within the biotech space I think could propel the next decade of innovation.
3/ If you know me already, these won't be very new to you. My first big concept is using tech in biotech with developing #AI, #ML and #Automation to drive down the costs and improve the success of clinical development.
I went back and looked at last year. After the JPM conference in January, I probably used the word #bubble at least 200 times talking about the $XBI, #crypto and #EV. Today, I think biotech is at fire sales prices with an opportunity down 60%. The others still have a ways to go.
From the peak:
$XBI is down over 62%
$BTC is down over 57%
$TSLA is down almost 40%
I think biotech offers the best opportunity as #crypto has no real world applications. $TSLA is a very strong and profitable company, but still grossly overvalue by a good 20% or more.
$XBI is down over 62%
$BTC is down over 57%
$TSLA is down almost 40%
I think biotech offers the best opportunity as #crypto has no real world applications. $TSLA is a very strong and profitable company, but still grossly overvalue by a good 20% or more.
Most biotechs are trading below cash levels. I haven't see valuations this cheap since the bottom of the 202 pandemic and the lows of the 2015 Hillary crash.
#SyntheticBiology and #EngineeringBiology Folks heads up!
👇
We are running #SBUK2022 in Newcastle on the 7th & 8th of November!
👇
We are running #SBUK2022 in Newcastle on the 7th & 8th of November!
We are building the website with details about the venue, hotel, registrations, papers deadline, program, etc and we will let you know soon.
Happy to share my third PhD paper, published at @ACSSynBio! We developed a recombinase-based system to transfer large biosynthetic gene clusters into filamentous fungi heterologous hosts for #naturalproduct discovery. @YitHengChooi @SMS_UWA #Synbio (1/8)
doi.org/10.1021/acssyn…
doi.org/10.1021/acssyn…
We often find promising cryptic biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) in the genomes of fungal species that are hard to cultivate or genetically intractable. Heterologous expression in hosts such as Aspergillus nidulans is increasingly being used to access the encoded compounds.(2/8)
However, targeted integration of large BGCs remained challenging. Site-specific recombinases are well suited for the integration of large constructs but remained unadopted in filamentous fungi. So, we established a Cre/lox-based system for BGC integration in A. nidulans.🛠️🧬(3/8)
When it comes to Synthetic Biology, there is no company I like better then $TWST. I think they offer everything an investor wants with a top quality management and great long term potential in a key theme.
When you look at the SnyBio space, the top developer is $DNA. Another company with top quality management and very big long term potential. I think this company could be the mega cap of the 2030's as more manufacturing switches to sustainability and new concepts come to market.
Finally, my thesis is submitted! This is the first step towards the Terraformation of our own planet to make it habitable again (@CSLab_UPF)! Thanks to @ricard_sole, @JosepSardanyes & and Núria Conde for all the efforts joined during this long journey! [1/12]
During the Anthropocene, the management performed by human societies has driven the planet to its collapse. Two examples studied are the plastisphere (shorturl.at/ntHV9) and the desertification induced by global warming (shorturl.at/qA167). [2/12]
As a solution, we have explored the possibility to Terraform our planet. To do so, we have reviewed different possibilities proposed from restoration ecology to the ideas proposed for our neighbor planet, the once blue Mars. [3/12] mdpi.com/2075-1729/10/2…
It’s been said that we can design and program bacteria like we can program a computer with code – however programming is only the beginning of what it takes to advance live bacterial therapeutics to patients – a 🧵 on how it is done (1/)
Today we @synlogic_tx show what it means to bring the power of synthetic biology to medicine, announcing clinical POC for our PKU program and showing the ability iterate and maximize activity in Synthetic Biotics #synbio (2/)
investor.synlogictx.com/news-releases/…
investor.synlogictx.com/news-releases/…
Using synthetic biology, we are able to apply engineering principles to design bacteria to perform specific biological functions – such as the metabolism of phenylalanine to potentially treat #PKU (3/)
Geoff Baldwin is now presenting the results obtained in WP1, led by @imperialcollege
Let's start off with assessing the gaps and challenges in standards ‼️
@baldwin_geoff
Let's start off with assessing the gaps and challenges in standards ‼️
@baldwin_geoff
The key areas where advances need to be made are: fluorescence measurements, RNA and cell number counts.🧫
Galaxy SynBioCAD provides a suite of interoperable and standardized tools for designing pathways from the design specification (choice of the compound, strain) to the DNA parts to be assembled.
DISCUSSION THREAD
Topic: $SRNGU/ $SRNG and potential Ginkgo Bioworks SPAC deal. Specifically, $20B valuation mentioned by Bloomberg
Will walk through some mkt data on chart below
Comments encouraged
#SynBio
$ZY
$AMRS $CDXS $ABCL $SYBX $PGEN
$BLI $TWST $TXG
$WUXAY $CRL $PPD
Topic: $SRNGU/ $SRNG and potential Ginkgo Bioworks SPAC deal. Specifically, $20B valuation mentioned by Bloomberg
Will walk through some mkt data on chart below
Comments encouraged
#SynBio
$ZY
$AMRS $CDXS $ABCL $SYBX $PGEN
$BLI $TWST $TXG
$WUXAY $CRL $PPD
^Will preface this w list of most interesting things in $SRNGU/ $SRNG S-1
1). HUGE cash trust: $1.5B
2). Mostly entertainment experts (they SPAC'd DraftKings), but sector agnostic
3). Criteria: "High growth +FCF potential"
2). One bio link: $ALLO $KRON @Vida_Ventures @bt_prop
1). HUGE cash trust: $1.5B
2). Mostly entertainment experts (they SPAC'd DraftKings), but sector agnostic
3). Criteria: "High growth +FCF potential"
2). One bio link: $ALLO $KRON @Vida_Ventures @bt_prop
Let's also establish
i). Ginkgo is IP creation biz (a #synbio $TXN/ $INTC/ $AMD) housed in automated CRO (see $PPD $WUXAY $CRL) "on steroids." That gets paid in cash+ stock/royalties
ii). Biology inherently hard to scale, but part of revenue magic of Ginkgo is code reuseability
i). Ginkgo is IP creation biz (a #synbio $TXN/ $INTC/ $AMD) housed in automated CRO (see $PPD $WUXAY $CRL) "on steroids." That gets paid in cash+ stock/royalties
ii). Biology inherently hard to scale, but part of revenue magic of Ginkgo is code reuseability
