Ask HN: Synthetic bio startups? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Synthetic bio startups?

25 pointscaffeine10 comments

Do you know any startups doing synthetic biology i.e. creating/modifying organisms, genomes, etc? (Stuff like new algae for oil spill cleanups or fuels or foods, molecular manufacturing, iGEM spinoffs, optogenetics...)

- Name of company, location, URL

- Vague description of what they do (if possible)

- Bonus (if you work there): If I gave you a computer science genie (or a math genie) in a lamp, what would you wish for?

Thanks!

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Synthetic Genomics, syntheticgenomics.com, San Diego, CA.

Web site says it best: genomic-driven commercial solutions. There's that whole synthetic cell thing, too.

I do work there and, if faced with a computer science genie, I'd ask him to please, for the love of all that is good in this universe, make it so that when an OS decides it wants to start hating on your network filesystem of choice, it has the decency not to kill itself at the same time. This has been basically unchanged for 20+ years.

Biocurious, a hackerspace/techshop for biotech in San Francisco ($300/mo for membership)

http://biocurious.org/

kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1040581998/biocurious-a-...

"BioCurious? Experiment with friends.

What ideas would you come up with if you hung out with a molecular biologist, a mechanical engineer, a computer programmer and an artist - and happened to be sitting next to a lab?

You might find yourself saying, "Hm... I never would have thought of that."

Biological and genetic knowledge is growing fast. The way forward in an increasingly cross-disciplinary area is through collaboration. Recognizing this need, we brainstormed BioCurious, a collaborative labspace where, together, we learn, socialize, research and make the tools that will change the change the face of biotech. BioCurious puts biotech in the hands of Makers, creators with the passion requisite for innovation. - Curious about Biology? Find out more at the new biology collaborative lab space where citizen science moves out of the classroom and into the community. Following the successful example of hackerspaces such as Noisebridge, Langton Labs, Hacker Dojo, and co-working spaces such as the Hub, we're pleased to offer the first Bay Area space dedicated to Non-Institutional Biology. Got an idea for a startup? Join the DIY, "garage biology" movement and found a new breed of biotech. Meet cofounders and friends, and make things you'd never dreamed possible."

We want to keep the monthly cost below $200 for individual members. Exact location and monthly membership fee haven't been set yet. We're using the kickstarter fundraising platform to cover initial equipment and real estate costs so we can open the doors to a community lab in the bay area.

- Eri Gentry, BioCurious Cofounder

I heard from Joe that the monthly membership cost was going to be higher than 200.

There might be some option in the future for corporate members, something like access for a team, or renting out a separate room, that would cost more than $200. We are planning around the figure $200 for individual monthly membership costs, but I, personally, hope to get enough deals on equipment and real estate to keep the cost at $150. Or below. If possible...

Amyris which came out of Prof Keasling and his artemisnin project. I think they are in Berkeley. http://www.amyrisbiotech.com/

Though I don't work there, I'm a bioengineering major and would be highly interested in what your project was. Email <cyclades at berekely dot edu>

Livly

http://livly.org

"Livly is a non-profit company that aims to create true, sustainable cures for the major diseases plaguing humankind. To work toward defeating these problems, we have developed two arms: an in-house research facility and a creative, incubator space to cultivate promising startups.

Our mission is to create such therapies directly through in-house biotechnology research on strategically important topics. Currently, we are focused on one area of research: Certain humans appear to possess natural cancer immunity. We attempt to harness this immunity to cure cancer in those not so fortunate."

I am pretty sure they have switched to for-profit.

I'm guessing this is on the heals of the Kickstarter Bio-Incubator post from before. It's an interesting concept. You might want to check out: DIYbio.org for information on the capital efficient biotech movement.

-DNA2.0, California, https://www.dna20.com/ -Gene Synthesis and Design. Have an algorithm for optimised gene design. Synthesised a large (7kbp) Violacein operon we needed, and it worked perfectly. (Optimised for E. coli and B. subtilis. Relevant link: http://2009.igem.org/Team:Cambridge/Project/VI02)

[This place might be well suited to you for a dynamic programming sort of job, caffeine ;)]

Ginkgo Bioworks

http://ginkgobioworks.com/

"Ginkgo BioWorks is engineering biological solutions to address the fundamental challenges that we face today. We're starting by focusing on energy and chemicals, but engineered biological systems will impact nearly every major industry. Our bioengineers make use of an in-house pipeline of synthetic biology technologies to design and build biological systems."

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