Synthetic Biology Is About to Disrupt Your Industry

Biology is transforming from an analytical discipline to an engineering pursuit. Syn-bio will improve existing processes and create new products. 

Synthetic biology, or syn-bio, could be defined as "the design and engineering of biological systems to create and improve processes and products." In the future, syn-bio will likely be involved in the manufacturing processes for nearly every human need, from fuel, to food, to fabric and flavors. Consider the proliferation of synthetic meat companies like Impossible Foods and Innocent Meat. These companies create ethical meat products by extracting chicken, duck, or beef stem cells, then putting them in a bioreactor and adding nutrients to produce "meat" that grows faster than it would if grown on an animal. This process uses fewer resources and limits environmental impact. It also reduces purity concerns because the product is grown in a sterile environment. Synthetic meats are just one new product; syn-bio innovations are likely to disrupt nearly every...