Synthetic Biology Shaping the Future of the Life Sciences Industry: How Executive Search Can Prepare Now
Synthetic biology is a new area of research and development that applies engineering principles to biological processes. Synthetic biology enables scientists to build artificial biological systems, and optimize individual parts of biological systems, simplifying and designing these parts with a desired function (BIO, n.d.).
When it comes to the biotech industry, synthetic biology has incredibly diverse capabilities. In human health, it can be used to detect genetic abnormalities and treat them through the appropriate corrective therapy. It can also be used to treat metabolic disorders by engineering certain enzymes to produce a desired reaction in the body.
With regards to medicine, synthetic biology is useful for drug discovery and screening, providing accurate understanding of how certain molecules work at certain sites in the body (Synbio Technologies, n.d.). It can also redesign organisms like bacteria to produce a certain substance with therapeutic benefit.
The field of synthetic biology has matured significantly in the last several years. Scientists are now able to program cells similarly to computers, make DNA at scale, and deliver RNA to targeted sites in the body with relative ease (Dutton, 2021).
According to a research report from IndustryARC in 2018, market demand for synthetic biology innovation is expected to grow at a phenomenal CAGR of 36-38% between 2019-2025. And thanks to advances in machine learning, the field has become incredibly lucrative for biotech startups. Investors are pouring capital into companies applying synthetic biology to next-gen cell and gene therapies (C>), platforms that allow for mass production of genetic material such as for vaccines or immunotherapies, and platforms enabling the rapid identification of therapeutic drugs or drug targets.
Several biotech executive leaders are pioneering the future of synthetic biology applications through their companies, and their visions for the future are inspiring.
Emily LeProust, PhD is the CEO and co-founder of Twist Therapeutics, an international company synthetically manufacturing DNA at scale with a high-throughput silicon platform, which enables the synthesis of 9,600 genes on a single silicon chip at full scale, as opposed to the production of 1 gene in the same physical space with traditional synthesis methods (Dutton, 2021). With the ability to produce large quantities of DNA, LeProust aims to transform how personalized medicine is viewed – medicine in which “everyone gets their own drug for their own mutations” (Dutton, 2021). She anticipates this will make treating cancer like treating a chronic disease in future, and that cancer could be controlled by treatment with a new drug every time it mutates.
GuideTx is a Georgia Tech spinout that was acquired by Beam Therapeutics (a Boston-area biotech) earlier this year. Synthetic biology has enabled GuideTx’s lipid nanoparticle (LNP) drug delivery vehicles, which allow for genetic medicines to be delivered to various different body tissues. Guide’s technology provides a solution to the limitations of precise delivery with RNA and DNA therapies. The company’s LNPs contain DNA barcodes to verify the therapeutic is delivered to the right tissue, and in one experiment hundreds of nanoparticles can be screened, resulting in faster R&D results. GuideTx co-founder James Dahlman believes the sophistication of DNA barcoding will allow for accelerated development of targeted therapies for diseases outside of the liver (Dutton, 2021).
Fate Therapeutics is a West Coast U.S. –based, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of immunotherapies for cancer. Their platform creates genetically engineered, renewable pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from a “master cell” that can be cloned uniformly and consistently to produce off-the-shelf NK cells (Dutton, 2021). Fate’s chief R&D Officer Bob Valamehr anticipates that with Fate’s platform, patients will no longer have to wait for lengthy autologous therapies, and will pay a fraction of the cost of NK cell therapy currently available.
Understanding the scope and breadth of synthetic biology is valuable for life sciences executive search consultants. The future of the life sciences industry is unfolding rapidly, and reaching out to emerging biotech companies with sophisticated synthetic biology platforms, whilst demonstrating competence in the unique needs of company vision and strategy is needed.
Additionally, companies utilizing synthetic biology platforms open doors for the best life sciences executive search consultants seeking to build retained relationships with clients. These companies are not only receiving plenty of capital investment, which gives them the ability to produce and expand, many also aim to widely distribute product to multiple other biotech companies requiring off-the-shelf therapies, and will require the multidimensional skillsets of biotech executive leaders of the future.
If you’re interested in learning more about BayBridge’s Talent Management approach to executive search, please reach out to one of our expert life sciences consultants today.
References
Biotechnology Innovation Organization. (Accessed 9 September 2021). Synthetic Biology Explained. https://archive.bio.org/articles/synthetic-biology-explained
Dutton, C. (1 September 2021). Synthetic biology engineers the next genomic revolution. Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News. https://www.genengnews.com/topics/genome-editing/synthetic-biology-engineers-the-next-genomic-revolution/
Synbio Technologies. (Accessed 9 September 2021). The application of synthetic biology to human health and medicine. https://www.synbio-tech.com/synthetic-biology-applications/
