Comments on: Blue Heron Strives to Replace Gene-Making Grunt Work with Custom Manufacturing http://www.xconomy.com/seattle/2008/06/18/blue-heron-strives-to-replace-gene-making-grunt-work-with-custom-manufacturing/ Business + Technology in the Exponential Economy Sat, 11 Feb 2012 09:14:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Richard Gayle http://www.xconomy.com/seattle/2008/06/18/blue-heron-strives-to-replace-gene-making-grunt-work-with-custom-manufacturing/comment-page-1/#comment-20873 Richard Gayle Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:19:39 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/?p=2849#comment-20873 Being one of the few molecular biologists who has synthesized oligonucleotide strands on sintered-glass funnels (a single day would result in a strand 14 nucleotides long and a hangover from the chemicals), I have been awed by the ability to create gene segments 50-100,000 nucleotides long. All faster and cheaper than I was able to do it. This is paradigm-shifting in its implications. It can change the questions we can ask. Look at the rise of synthetic biology, for example. Bringing more engineering rigor to biotechnology and biopharma may help overcome the 90% failure rate for new drugs. Something has to. Being one of the few molecular biologists who has synthesized oligonucleotide strands on sintered-glass funnels (a single day would result in a strand 14 nucleotides long and a hangover from the chemicals), I have been awed by the ability to create gene segments 50-100,000 nucleotides long. All faster and cheaper than I was able to do it.

This is paradigm-shifting in its implications. It can change the questions we can ask. Look at the rise of synthetic biology, for example. Bringing more engineering rigor to biotechnology and biopharma may help overcome the 90% failure rate for new drugs.

Something has to.

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