Synthetic Biology (Synbio) refers to the field of engineering biological cells for specific purposes and applications, particularly those that are not endogenous. Over the last 10 years, synthetic biology has undergone a technological revolution to allow rapid, precise, automated, and high-throughput engineering of biological cells for targeted purposes. This transition has occurred due to a convergence of three critical technologies that have all come to maturation simultaneously. The first two, DNA synthesis and DNA sequencing, have become standardized and highly affordable to allow large-scale experimentation of various genetic conformations. The third technology, Machine Learning, has matured enough to be applied skillfully to analyze and decompose experimental data. This mix of complementary tools has allowed engineers to apply a “Design- Build-Test-Learn” framework to biology for the first time, thereby significantly accelerating the pace and feasibility of R&D projects.
One of the most critical issues of our generation is climate change and the buildup of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Due to competing stakeholder interests, such as economic development and infrastructure inertia, solutions to limit and decrease CO2 levels have often hit roadblocks. Synthetic biology will unlock effective carbon capture solutions to decrease atmospheric CO2 levels with minimal economic costs, smoothening the way to global adoption. Technological challenges of engineering organisms to be able to effectively sequester CO2, which has traditionally been difficult, will be overcome with the enormous computational and experimental force of an automated Design-Build-Test-Learn cycle.
In this paper, we have analyzed the latest synthetic biology technologies and tried to evaluate their feasibility in terms of their Positive/Negative and Accounted/ Unaccounted effects. The technologies evaluated are:
CO2 Capturing by Improving the Root-Shoot Ratio of Plants
One of the goals for CCSU by plants is to increase suberin production. In fact, there are efforts on the way to select or genetically modify crop plants that will both produce deeper root systems and carbon compounds that contribute to longer-lived carbon pools (e.g., suberin) and jointly have the possibility of increasing carbon storage. Whereas it is clear that there is tremendous potential for plant-based carbon sequestration (the top 30 cm of global cropland soils alone has been estimated to have a capacity to sequester up to 1.85 Pg C/year25), much research needs to be done beyond plant and soil biology. The technological challenges of cellular engineering are sure to be overcome with the advancements in R&D capabilities denoted above.
Carbon Capturing by Engineering Algae
Biological capture and sequestration of CO2 using microalgae have the potential of becoming an environmentally friendly, economically feasible, and sustainable technology. Bioengineering microalgae, with their high photosynthetic efficiency, can fix CO2 10-50 times more than terrestrial plants and also provide higher flexibility in terms of adaptation to extreme environmental conditions. However, this technology comes with its downsides such as the requirement of vast arable lands, risks of parasitism, lower control over algal blooms, etc.
We then can apply some of the current regulatory frameworks to these emerging technologies to have a better understanding of their ethical, legal, and social risks. While both technologies hold some risks, such as unintended environmental externalities, we are confident that with the right regulatory framework, they can be precisely directed to solve the problems of carbon capture. With these technologies launched in the field, society may be able to address climate change with reduced economic costs than are sustained with existing solutions like cap-and-trade. It is important to note, however, that these technologies will complement and propel the trends of switching away from fossil fuels. Carbon capture will help to reduce the drastic increases in carbon levels that humanity has already caused, and should not be used as a justification to continue on with the fossil fuel path we have pursued so far.
Apoorv Gupta is a second-year MBA student at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He has spent his career in the life sciences industry, working to create biotechnology products to address problems in healthcare and environmental sustainability. He worked at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, helping to transition drugs from the lab to the clinic via manufacturing and regulatory approval. He holds a PhD in Biological Engineering from MIT.
Gurdeep Singh Somal is a second-year student at Harvard Business School. Before HBS, he spent six years at Suntory Holdings in Japan, working on various global projects regarding how to make alcohol (whiskey) business more environmentally sustainable. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from IIT Delhi, India.
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