Nature Biotechnology spotlighted our portfolio company, Constructive Bio, as an Editor's Pick, recognizing the company's breakthrough approach to biomanufacturing using synthetic biology.
Founded in 2022 by Jason Chin, director of the Medical Research Council's Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK, Constructive Bio has raised $75 million in seed and series A funding. The company engineers synthetic E. coli with compressed genomes that incorporate non-canonical amino acids to produce novel peptides, proteins, and polymers.
Producing these drugs through fermentation in synthetic bacteria offers a cheaper, more sustainable alternative to traditional solid-phase synthesis, which generates 13 tonnes of waste per kilogram of active ingredient.
The technology offers additional advantages: synthetic bacterial strains avoid risks of viral contamination and cannot engage in horizontal gene transfer with other microbes. Polymers made with non-canonical amino acids also resist degradation by natural enzymes, boosting stability within the body.
Read the full feature by Charles Schmidt here.
Founded in 2022 by Jason Chin, director of the Medical Research Council's Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK, Constructive Bio has raised $75 million in seed and series A funding. The company engineers synthetic E. coli with compressed genomes that incorporate non-canonical amino acids to produce novel peptides, proteins, and polymers.
Producing these drugs through fermentation in synthetic bacteria offers a cheaper, more sustainable alternative to traditional solid-phase synthesis, which generates 13 tonnes of waste per kilogram of active ingredient.
The technology offers additional advantages: synthetic bacterial strains avoid risks of viral contamination and cannot engage in horizontal gene transfer with other microbes. Polymers made with non-canonical amino acids also resist degradation by natural enzymes, boosting stability within the body.
Read the full feature by Charles Schmidt here.