Viridos (company)

Last updated
Viridos
Founder J. Craig Venter Ph.D.
Type Private company
Location
Area served
Worldwide
Products Instruments
Reagents
Bioinformatics Tools
Services
Key people
Subsidiaries
  • Synthetic Genomics Vaccines (SGVI)
  • Genovia Bio
Website www.viridos.com

In September 2021, Synthetic Genomics Inc. (SGI), a private company located in La Jolla, California, changed its name to Viridos. [1] The company is focused on the field of synthetic biology, especially harnessing photosynthesis with micro algae to create alternatives to fossil fuels. [2] Viridos designs and builds biological systems to address global sustainability problems.

Contents

Synthetic biology is an interdisciplinary branch of biology and engineering, combining fields such as biotechnology, evolutionary biology, molecular biology, systems biology, biophysics, computer engineering, and genetic engineering. Synthetic Genomics uses techniques such as software engineering, bioprocessing, bioinformatics, biodiscovery, analytical chemistry, fermentation, cell optimization, and DNA synthesis to design and build biological systems. The company produces or performs research in the fields of sustainable bio-fuels, insect resistant crops, transplantable organs, targeted medicines, DNA synthesis instruments as well as a number of biological reagents.

Core markets

SGI mainly operates in three end markets: research, bioproduction and applied products. The research segment focuses on genomics solutions for academic and commercial research organizations. The commercial products and services include instrumentation, reagents, DNA synthesis services, and bioinformatics services and software. In 2015, the company launched the BioXP 3200 system, [3] a fully automated benchtop instrument that produces DNA fragments from many different sources for genomic data.

The company's efforts in bio-based production are intended to improve both existing production hosts and develop entirely new synthetic production hosts with the goal of more efficient routes to bioproducts.

SGI has a number of commercial as well as research and development stage programs across a variety of industries. Some of these research partnerships include:

PartnerFocusTarget
United Therapeutics Organ Transplantation To reduce the risk of rejection in organ transplantation [4]
Novartis Vaccines Vaccines To stockpile synthetic flu vaccines for rapid response to global flu outbreaks [5]
ADM Food Oil To provide nutritional oils that overcome cost barrier in multiple applications [6]
Monsanto Agriculture To map microbiome metagenome related to plant health and crop yield [7]
ExxonMobil Biodiesel To develop an algae platform that can produce economically viable biodiesel [8]

History

Synthetic Genomics was founded in the spring of 2005 by J. Craig Venter, Nobel Laureate Hamilton O. Smith, Juan Enriquez, and David Kiernan. Venter (and Smith)'s previous company, Celera Genomics, was a driving force in the race to sequence the human genome. [9] The firm takes its name from the phrase synthetic genomics which is a scientific discipline of synthetic biology related to the generation of organisms artificially using genetic material. [10] [11]

Many of SGI's collaborations have been with energy companies. In 2007, SGI worked with BP to commercialize microbial-based processes for increasing the conversion and recovery of subsurface hydrocarbons. [12] In 2009, SGI received funding from ExxonMobil to produce biofuels on an industrial-scale using recombinant algae and other microorganisms. [13] [14] The company purchased an 81-acre site (33 ha) in the Imperial Valley in Southern California to produce algae fuel for their collaboration with Exxon Mobil. [15] They also signed a collaborative agreement with New England Biolabs to Launch Gibson Assembly Master Mix Product for Synthetic and Molecular Biology Applications in 2012. [16]

In 2010, Synthetic Genomics spun off a new subsidiary, Synthetic Genomics Vaccines Inc., to develop next generation vaccines [17]

In 2014 SGI expanded into the field of organ transplantation with a collaborative agreement with United Therapeutics valued at $50M [18] and brought in Oliver Fetzer as CEO. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biotechnology</span> Use of living systems and organisms to develop or make useful products

Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Venter</span> American biotechnologist and businessman

John Craig Venter is an American biotechnologist and businessman. He is known for leading one of the first draft sequences of the human genome and assembled the first team to transfect a cell with a synthetic chromosome. Venter founded Celera Genomics, the Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) and the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI). He was the co-founder of Human Longevity Inc. and Synthetic Genomics. He was listed on Time magazine's 2007 and 2008 Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. In 2010, the British magazine New Statesman listed Craig Venter at 14th in the list of "The World's 50 Most Influential Figures 2010". In 2012, Venter was honored with Dan David Prize for his contribution to genome research. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2013. He is a member of the USA Science and Engineering Festival's advisory board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synthetic biology</span> Interdisciplinary branch of biology and engineering

Synthetic biology (SynBio) is a multidisciplinary field of science that focuses on living systems and organisms, and it applies engineering principles to develop new biological parts, devices, and systems or to redesign existing systems found in nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamilton O. Smith</span> American biologist

Hamilton Othanel Smith is an American microbiologist and Nobel laureate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metabolic engineering</span>

Metabolic engineering is the practice of optimizing genetic and regulatory processes within cells to increase the cell's production of a certain substance. These processes are chemical networks that use a series of biochemical reactions and enzymes that allow cells to convert raw materials into molecules necessary for the cell's survival. Metabolic engineering specifically seeks to mathematically model these networks, calculate a yield of useful products, and pin point parts of the network that constrain the production of these products. Genetic engineering techniques can then be used to modify the network in order to relieve these constraints. Once again this modified network can be modeled to calculate the new product yield.

Articles related specifically to biomedical engineering include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Church (geneticist)</span> American geneticist

George McDonald Church is an American geneticist, molecular engineer, chemist, serial entrepreneur, and pioneer in personal genomics and synthetic biology. He is the Robert Winthrop Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a founding member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard. Through his Harvard lab Church has co-founded around 50 biotech companies pushing the boundaries of innovation in the world of life sciences and making his lab as a hotbed of biotech startup activity in Boston. In 2018, the Church lab at Harvard made a record by spinning off 16 biotech companies in one year. The Church lab works on research projects that are distributed in diverse areas of modern biology like developmental biology, neurobiology, info processing, medical genetics, genomics, gene therapy, diagnostics, chemistry & bioengineering, space biology & space genetics, and ecosystem. Research and technology developments at the Church lab have impacted or made direct contributions to nearly all "next-generation sequencing (NGS)" methods and companies. In 2017, Time magazine listed him in Time 100, the list of 100 most influential people in the world. In 2022, he was featured among the most influential people in biopharma by Fierce Pharma, and was listed among the top 8 famous geneticists of all time in human history. As of January 2023, Church serves as a member of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' Board of Sponsors.

This page provides an alphabetical list of articles and other pages about biotechnology.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to biotechnology:

Artificial gene synthesis, or simply gene synthesis, refers to a group of methods that are used in synthetic biology to construct and assemble genes from nucleotides de novo. Unlike DNA synthesis in living cells, artificial gene synthesis does not require template DNA, allowing virtually any DNA sequence to be synthesized in the laboratory. It comprises two main steps, the first of which is solid-phase DNA synthesis, sometimes known as DNA printing. This produces oligonucleotide fragments that are generally under 200 base pairs. The second step then involves connecting these oligonucleotide fragments using various DNA assembly methods. Because artificial gene synthesis does not require template DNA, it is theoretically possible to make a completely synthetic DNA molecule with no limits on the nucleotide sequence or size.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Voigt</span> American bioengineer

Christopher Voigt is an American synthetic biologist, molecular biophysicist, and engineer.

Mycoplasma laboratorium or Synthia refers to a synthetic strain of bacterium. The project to build the new bacterium has evolved since its inception. Initially the goal was to identify a minimal set of genes that are required to sustain life from the genome of Mycoplasma genitalium, and rebuild these genes synthetically to create a "new" organism. Mycoplasma genitalium was originally chosen as the basis for this project because at the time it had the smallest number of genes of all organisms analyzed. Later, the focus switched to Mycoplasma mycoides and took a more trial-and-error approach.

Bio-Synthesis, Inc. (BSI) is a biotechnology company headquartered in Lewisville, Texas. It is a provider of custom and catalog peptides, custom oligos, antibodies, organic synthesis, and analytical services. Biomedical researchers worldwide in universities, biotech companies, private clinics, and government agencies use products from Bio-Synthesis, Inc. in studies ranging from PCR diagnostics to cancer research and the Human Genome Project.

Eurogentec is an international biotechnology supplier, based in Belgium, that specializes in genomics and proteomics kits and reagents as well as cGMP biologics. The company was founded in 1985 as a spin-off from the University of Liège. Eurogentec's contract manufacturing organization facilities are licensed by the Belgian Ministry of Health to produce clinical trial and commercial biopharmaceutical material and also licensed by the US FDA to manufacture a commercial recombinant protein product for the US market. Eurogentec operates two manufacturing facilities in Belgium that provide custom biologics and oligonucleotide-based components for diagnostic and therapeutic/prophylactic applications.

Synthetic virology is a branch of virology engaged in the study and engineering of synthetic man-made viruses. It is a multidisciplinary research field at the intersection of virology, synthetic biology, computational biology, and DNA nanotechnology, from which it borrows and integrates its concepts and methodologies. There is a wide range of applications for synthetic viral technology such as medical treatments, investigative tools, and reviving organisms.

ATUM is an American biotechnology company. ATUM provides tools for the design and synthesis of optimized DNA, as well as protein production and GMP cell line development.

Synthetic immunology is the rational design and construction of synthetic systems that perform complex immunological functions. Functions include using specific cell markers to target cells for destruction and or interfering with immune reactions. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved immune system modulators include anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agents, vaccines, therapeutic antibodies and Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists.

References

  1. ↑ "News and Media". Viridos. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  2. ↑ "Algal Genomics and Biotechnology". Viridos. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  3. ↑ "SGI-DNA Launches the BioXp™ 3200 System Early Access Program". SGI-DNA.
  4. ↑ "Synthetic Genomics Inc. Expands Collaborative Research and Development Agreement with Lung Biotechnology PBC, a Subsidiary of United Therapeutics Corporation, to Develop Organs for Transplantation" (Press release).
  5. ↑ "Novartis Teams with Synthetic Genomics Vaccines to Develop Flu Seed Virus Banks". 7 October 2010.
  6. ↑ "Synthetic Genomics and ADM partner for omega-3 DHA".
  7. ↑ "Monsanto Acquires Parts of Agradis, Partners with Synthetic Genomics".
  8. ↑ "Exxon Sinks $600M Into Algae-Based Biofuels in Major Strategy Shift". The New York Times .
  9. ↑ "About Synthetic Genomics". Synthetic Genomics' corporate website. Archived from the original on September 24, 2005. Retrieved November 26, 2005.
  10. ↑ Whitehouse, David (July 4, 2005). "Venter revives synthetic bug talk". BBC.
  11. ↑ Pennisi, E. (2010). "Genomics. Synthetic genome brings new life to bacterium". Science. 328 (5981): 958–959. doi: 10.1126/science.328.5981.958 . PMID   20488994.
  12. ↑ Press Release
  13. ↑ Juha-Pekka Tikka : Craig Venter Has Algae Biofuel in Synthetic Genomics’ Pipeline. Xconomy San Diego. 6/4/09.
  14. ↑ "Scientist on plan to turn algae to fuel". NPR. July 15, 2009.
  15. ↑ Press Release
  16. ↑ Article
  17. ↑ Press Release
  18. ↑ Article
  19. ↑ Union Tribune Article
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