John Cumbers
@johncumbers
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Join @SynBioBeta - May 5-8, 2025 in San Jose: and read my weekly newsletter:
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Interested in Generative AI for BIO? Please Join George Church, David Baker and Sarah Carter for an interactive SynBioBeta Town Hall on "Generative AI for Protein Design: Balancing Risks with Opportunities". Tuesday Apr 16th at 12 noon pacific. You can register here:
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20 years ago, synthetic biology was just a pipe dream. It was hard to engineer biology and ship product. It's now getting easier. Here's a list of 10 products of synthetic biology...
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I am excited to be at the White House today for the Summit on Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing. It is a big week for biology policy. The federal government is pledging more than $2B to launch a National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative 🧵1/
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11 years ago today I started
@SynBioBeta
. I want to say a huge thank you to the SynBioBeta team, and to our community of CEO's, entrepreneurs, investors, sponsors, academics, students and change makers. The future belongs to biology, and belongs to you too.
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Some great people have been pushing this bioeconomy policy boulder uphill for over a decade. Some great news out today from the Biden White House with a new bioeconomy executive order.
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Former finance minister,
@MickeySpajic
is Montenegro’s renaissance man. Fluent in Japanese, Mandarin and French, he’s creating a shining example of what a modern European leader can achieve with a focus on democracy, smart economics and smart tech policy. 1/
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I'm joining the board of
@iGEM
! (International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition). Glad to bring an industry lens to the growth of the organization.
Thanks to Randy Rettberg for the invitation. I'm excited for our first board meeting after the Jamboree in Paris
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Exciting news!
@DrewEndy
, founder of
@iGEM
/
@biobricks
, and
@VitalikButerin
, founder of
@ethereum
, will be joining the upcoming Synthetic Biology Summit on Sustainable Biomanufacturing for Future Network States. Best of all, it's free:
1/
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SynBioBeta is a wrap! Thanks to all our sponsors, speakers and attendees. I love our community. 😍😍😍🧬🧬🧬
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.
@Ginkgo
Bioworks, Inc. decided to open up some of its experimental services to the community in a royalty-free, IP-free manner. This is going to be a big deal for start-ups! Check out this exclusive interview with
@jrkelly
from
@konvavitsas
:
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The DeSci movement is about giving “scientists more freedom to express their visions for the future and the ability to tackle them.” Check out my new Forbes article that looks at the current DeSci landscape.
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How can we capture CO2 with microbes and make products from pollution? Synthetic biology is a powerful new tool for protecting our planet. Sounds like science fiction, right? Well here are 15 companies doing just this...
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Who is doing the most mind-blowing work at the intersection of AI and biology? Who is a great speaker you’d love to see talk about this at SynBioBeta?
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We’ve had > 600 synbio students apply for SynBioBeta in May! We are giving away 100 conference passes.
@ericschmidt
&
@SchmidtFutures
are sponsoring 100 travel grants but we have a delta of 500! Want to support the next generation of bioeconomy entrepreneurs? Please let me know!
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Who are the most amazing speakers in biology who just blow your mind and teach you something new every time you hear them? Who are the Feynman-level communicators who carry you along and make you feel like a genius?
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📅 20 years ago today, then MIT Professor
@DrewEndy
presented this groundbreaking briefing on
#SyntheticBiology
to the DARPA director. () A moment that changed the trajectory of biological research forever. 🧬 1/7
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From science fiction to life-saving reality: explore the remarkable revolution of gene editing with Dr.
@davidrliu
, the brilliant mind behind base and prime editing.
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Looking at nature and Imagining what the next 100 years of engineering biology will bring us.
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Here are 10 incredible women leaders of
#syntheticbiology
:
1.
@EmilyLeproust
, CEO & Co-founder
@TwistBioscience
2.
@rwegrzyn
, Director
@ARPA_H
3.
@MaryEMaxon
, Executive Director of BioFutures,
@SchmidtFutures
4. Jennifer Holmgren,
@TodaDogs
CEO
@LanzaTech
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I give up - I can't keep track of all the people and companies doing amazing work in generative AI and Bio. Please can you help tag them below? 🧬🙏🙏🙏🧬
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.
@Ben_Reinhardt
has always wanted to make the imaginings of science fiction novels a reality. He got his PhD with the goal of building spaceships; but became disenchanted with the existing venues for scientific and technological research.
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A new company called Cradle wants to democratize protein engineering. Their team has created generative software that is like
#DALLE2
but for protein design.
I spoke with Cradle's CEO
@stefvangrieken
to understand what that means for
#SynBio
.
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Exciting news for SynBioBeta next week! We're unveiling our Market Map featuring 129 sponsors, exhibitors & partners. The event will span 3 immersive days of content, delving into Biopharma, Climate, Food, Chemicals & Materials, Capital Markets, and more
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A rousing standing ovation for
@AndrewYang
’s TED talk. Worth 10 minutes of your time.
What if I told you we could meaningfully rationalize American politics for only 2% of what the 2 major parties will spend this year?
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What’s the holy grail of biology? This startup says it’s engineerable cells, and with $200million of new funding for their CAD platform to program genetic circuits, the manufacture of biological therapeutics is set to radically change. Read how:
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Synthetic Biology Has Raised $12.4 Billion. Here Are Five Sectors It Will Soon Disrupt. via
@forbes
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It's been a huge week in DNA reading this week, with the
@Illumina
Genomics Forum in San Diego. There was a star-studded appearance from the likes of
@BarackObama
and
@BillGates
. The big news out this week is the falling cost of reading a whole human genome. 1/
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.
@Genomatica
announced the first commercial production of bio-based nylon, potentially disrupting a $10 billion market that now produces 60 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
#synbio
#biotech
#biomanufacturing
#sustainable
#biomaterials
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There are 50+ synthetic biology investment funds coming to SynBioBeta this year! If you’re a synthetic biology
#startup
raising money right now, check 'em out below:
2048 Ventures
age1
Ajinomoto Corporate Venture Capital
ARK Investment Management LLC
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.
@TwistBioscience
is a whale in the world of
#DNAsynthesis
and
#NGS
. Their annual earnings grew from $2M in 2016 to $203M projected for 2022. And now it’s eyeing the $186 billion
#antibody
market.
Will the move into
#biopharma
help Twist reach EBITDA breakeven in 2023?
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I am excited to share that Thomas Middleditch, star of the critically acclaimed HBO series “Silicon Valley”, turned climate investor, will be speaking at SynBioBeta with
@sethbannon
, Founder of VC firm
@fiftyyears
, on his passion for climate tech investing
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There's a huge shift happening from petro to bio: in September the White House issued an executive order developing a strategy for the $1T US Bioeconomy. In March it published a set of 'bold goals'. I'm going to highlight some of the key people turning the wheels of government..
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👏👏👏Please join me in congratulating Geoffrey Otim
@otimgeoffrey25
from Uganda, founder of
@SynBioAfrica
. He’s here in the Bay Area to receive this year’s
@SynBioBeta
Impact Award On Thursday in Oakland! 🕺🏼🚀🧬
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.
@LanzaTech
is on fire! This time taking on the ethylene industry! Today, the company announced it has engineered biocatalysts to produce ethylene from CO2 in a continuous process. 1/
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In 2004, Dan Gibson was drawn to a project at the J. Craig Venter Institute: to build a synthetic cell from scratch. Within days, he was on a path to creating synthetic life alongside genomics pioneers.
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These amazing dinoflagellates are saltwater bioluminescent microbes that light up the oceans at night! You’ll be able to play with them at the
@SynBioBeta
conference on May 7th in San Jose. Courtesy of my good friend Andy Bass at Popular Biology. 🧬 🧬🧬
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Check out this new funding opportunity: How to get to Biology Engineered for Exploration of Space. The Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) is seeking proposers with proof-of-concept engineering biology solutions that can be used in long-duration, deep space
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Hanging at
@fiftyyears
HQ last night - the lull before the SynBioBeta storm. Thanks to
@sethbannon
for the photo.
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Hi
@SynBioBeta
family, you're the reason awesome people agree to come speak to our community. Please join me in welcoming the *one and only*
@Paulstamets
- the undisputed Mushroom King. We’ll see you in Oakland next May! 🍄🍄🍄😀😀😀🚀🚀🚀
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I’m buzzing with excitement about the impact of
#AI
on
#biology
.
@Microsoft
and
@OpenAI
are about to roll out the Stargate system in parts, and honestly, it feels like we’re at the cusp of a whole new era in AI and computational power. This isn’t just another step forward; it’s
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Young people in Uganda are shaping the future of climate, food and healthcare using the tools of synthetic biology. Please join me in supporting the Ugandan IGEM team here!
.
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I'm on a mission to
#BiologizeDavos
join our
#SyntheticBiology
panel tomorrow at 2pm
#BiologizeEverything
#Davos23
@sean_os1
@GaurabC
@rimacha
@RChakraba
@RyanMorhard
Thanks
@mark_turrell
@unDavosSummit
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.
@ericschmidt
is always two steps ahead of the curve and able to spot trends coming down the innovation pipeline... this time in the bioeconomy. A year ago he
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Got this email from my friend Jim DeKloe: "SynBioBeta always feels like I'm at MacWorld in 1984, it's like everyone there is attending a computer conference right before the internet is about to hit” 🥰
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What are some monopolies that exist in biotechnology? Where does there need to be more competition in the market?
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I rarely talk about why I love doing what I do as it comes so naturally to me. But it was an honor to speak to
@SFBusinessTimes
about the love of my life: the synthetic biology community.
@alisha_writes
#synbio
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My favorite moment of
@SynBioBeta
was meeting some of the 150 students who came this year 🧬🚀😎 thanks to
@ericschmidt
,
@MaryEMaxon
,
@SchmidtFutures
for the travel grants supporting the next generation of bio talent!
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Isn't this animation awesome? It shows what's going on inside every cell in your body right now. If it's foreign to you then come take our interactive synthetic biology course tomorrow in Oakland!
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Wendy Lawton (
@wendylawton1
), a wonderful mentor of mine in grad school, said that if you wanted your work to be widely read you needed to make sure it contained peanut butter and chocolate. These are two wonderful things on their own, but bring them together and you get
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What if each protein inside of you was able to talk and tell you the story of its life?
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Cornell Professor Chris Mason (
@mason_lab
) has a wonderful new book out on engineering life to reach new worlds. He’s doing a fireside chat with NASA Astronaut Kate Rubins (
@Astro_Kate7
) to kick off
#SynBioBeta2024
next week in San Jose and is also hosting a book signing in the
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I’m thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2023 SynBioBeta Global Synthetic Biology Awards, selected by the community in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the field of synthetic biology. Below are this year's honorees:
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‘Ring of Fire’ 🔥? What should we call this awesome image of the synthetic biology companies in the Bay Area? I’ve been thinking it needs to be something more positive and more biological!?
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The Synthetic Biology world is full of incredible technologies, visionary companies, profound lessons, & amazing stories that need to be told. Here are 10 women who are telling the fascinating, inspiring, and bold
#syntheticbiology
stories:
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Congratulations to
@stefvangrieken
and the Cradle team for raising a $24 million Series A funding round! Cradle's cutting-edge platform uses generative AI and machine learning to accelerate protein design, significantly reducing time and costs in biotech R&D.
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The
#1
rule of
#syntheticbiology
is don't try to define synthetic biology. But I'd like to break my own rule here and give it a shot. 17 years ago
@TomKnightSynBio
(left) and
@drewendy
(right) reviewed an article I wrote ... (Photo c/o Wired/Allan Penn/Oliver Morton
@Eaterofsun
)
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In the new
#GrowEverythingPodcast
episode, we explore how
#biotechnology
is merging with other sectors, such as space exploration, and how
#syntheticbiology
is reshaping the future. We talk about how
#biotech
can help solve global problems, from environmental to health issues.
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The atmosphere breathed a sigh of relief this week at a half Billion $ investment to suck up CO2 and build things with biology.
@LanzaTech
can use the power of microbes to turn CO2 emissions from power plants into this dress from
@zara
. Sounds like science fiction? It’s not. 1/5
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WATCH: This two-minute synthetic biology video is a far-out vision of the future via
@forbes
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Stephen Wolfram, the mind behind Wolfram Research, and Brian Frezza, the founder of Emerald Cloud Labs, will be joining us at
#SynBioBeta2024
to discuss the intersection of automated laboratories and
#AI
and how these technologies are advancing scientific discovery. Join us on
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Synthetic biology is not spending millions of dollars and thousands of hours creating a single bio-based product. Instead, it's about creating tools, tech, platforms, & knowledge to "make biology easier to engineer" - a movement to turn biology into a true engineering discipline.
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Worlds best biohacker:
@ATinyGreenCell
My cozy lil research nook. It's not much but it's got everything I need to explore the living world.
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I love the art and science of
@dsgoodsell
, and I’m so happy to write about it in
@Forbes
.
#synbiobeta2020
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Hey
@synbiobeta
community - Nov 14 is our 10 year anniversary since the first conference! Please send any photos or memories from the last decade - I'm compiling a newsletter from the best. You are what makes the community great, let's celebrate together!
#SynBioBetaBDay
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🤑🤑🤑 Here's a long list of investors who will be at
@SynBioBeta
this week: Actium Group, Aera VC, Alix Ventures, America’s Frontier Fund, B37 Ventures, Bee Partners, BioInnovation Institute, Blue Horizon, Boom Capital, Breakout Ventures, Casdin Capital, Codon Capital
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Congratulations
@francesarnold
who is set to Co-Chair the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)
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This week, I attended the
#iGEM2023
Grand Jamboree in Paris and met some awesome people doing amazing work. Here are some that stood out to me:
A team from Fudan University who created two children's books explaining synthetic biology;
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By focusing on crypto, biomanufacturing, synthetic biology and longevity, could Montenegro become Europe’s first Longevity State?
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Hi friends, if you have a VR headset then come join me and Jacob Glanville tonight at 6pm Pacific in AltSpace VR for a public talk on coronavirus 101, antibodies and a live Q&A.
@CurlyJungleJake
@EvolVR1
@AltspaceVR
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Serious question: where can you meet over 80 synthetic biology companies under one roof? 🤣🤣🤣
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Has synthetic biology finally found the elixir to solve its biggest bottleneck? Read my latest piece in Forbes to find out how one company thinks they’ve cracked the code 🧬
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I <3 🍄 and recently had the opportunity to tour the incredible
@ecovative
facility with my good friend, CEO/founder
@ebenbayer
and his colleague Lacey Davidson. They grow everything you can think of from mushrooms 🍄! Come with me and take a look! 🧵
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What if you had a DNA typewriter and biology was easy to engineer?
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To support the
#bioeconomy
and grow our collective knowledge,
@Ginkgo
is, for the first time, opening up access to their Foundry data with a streamlined, easy-to-use, IP-protected collaboration model. Join this session for an interactive look at how you can access some of
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Biology labs today suffer the same problem computers had before the invention of the integrated circuit:
- too many parts
- each device does only one task
- parts don't talk to each other
This paradigm-shifting technology could replace traditional labs:
1/
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This month we are celebrating
#SynBioBetaBDay
! For a decade we've been coming together to build the synthetic biology industry. It's been an honor to support a community space for you, the entrepreneurs, that make the field great. I'd like to share some memories.
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I just touched down in Washington DC to talk about the growth of the ~600 companies in the synthetic biology industry.
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Today I finally get to visit a mushroom factory… 🤗 Maybe… some photos will follow on what I find inside
@ecovative
@ebenbayer
@myforestfoods
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Today I’m sending SynBioBeta’s 500th weekly newsletter! We are 11 years old and the bioeconomy is just getting started! Thanks for the news, tips, and insights.
Here's to the next milestone we'll synthesize together!
#SynBioBeta500
🙏🧬
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.
@Prokarium
, a biopharmaceutical company pioneering the oncology field of microbial
#immunotherapy
, has just raised $30M, fresh off the announcement of a new partnership with
@Ginkgo
Bioworks. 1/
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I am stoked to Launch the DCVC SynBioBeta synthetic biology fund. Thanks to
@mattocko
&
@zackbogue
via
@techcrunch
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10 years ago today was the first
@SynBioBeta
. Thanks to everybody in our community for working to "make biology easier to engineer". Thanks especially to the SynBioBeta team. I can't wait to see what the next decade of synthetic biology will usher in!
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I’ve started at as a regular contributor telling stories of the bioeconomy. Here’s my first piece on reinvigorating rural america by investing in a bio belt. . Thanks for this amazing opportunity
@amyfeldman
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Here are 10 women founders behind some of the most innovative synthetic biology companies out there:
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Skincare is a $100B market. But it's not always pretty: many cosmetic ingredients come from animals or rare plants. Read how
#syntheticbiology
is disrupting the
#skincareindustry
supply chains by replacing rare ingredients with sustainable alternatives:
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