Top 10 Hotspots in Synthetic Biology in 2024! CAR-T gene therapy, AlphaFold3 release, semaglutide explosion ......

1. Governments around the world attach increasing importance to biological technologies. China has included synthetic biology in its 14th Five Year Plan. The United States has released a list of key technologies, covering new synthetic biology technologies. Europe, Australia, and other countries are also actively planning their layout.

Countries have seen the enormous potential of biotechnology in future economic, medical, agricultural and other fields, and have seized the high ground of technological development, increased resource investment and policy support, and promoted the cutting-edge research and application transformation of biotechnology.

More than 10 academicians and experts provide insights and guidance for synthetic biology!

2. Many regions in China have issued special plans for biomanufacturing, and actively plan the development path of biomanufacturing. Beijing is making efforts in various aspects such as enhancing innovation capabilities; Changzhou Jintan District attracts enterprises with incentive policies; Tianjin focuses on the construction of national level platforms; Hefei builds a full chain innovation platform.

Tailored to local conditions, various regions promote the robust growth of the biomanufacturing industry from various dimensions such as technological innovation, industrial agglomeration, and platform construction, enhancing regional economic competitiveness and innovation vitality.

Plans, opinions, and measures for promoting the development of synthetic biology at the national, provincial, municipal, and county levels! (Precision fermentation, biomedicine, bio agriculture, biomass substitution, biosafety)

3. AlphaFold3 was released and the "father of AlphaFold" won a Nobel Prize. In May 2024, AlphaFold3 was published in Nature, which predicted protein complex structures with high accuracy, exceeding traditional methods by 50%. Thanks to advanced algorithms and computing capabilities, it provides key structural information for protein function research, drug development, and more.

In October of the same year, the "father of AlphaFold" and others were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, recognizing the achievements in protein structure prediction and inspiring more researchers to engage in it, promoting the development of computational biology and potentially accelerating the process of drug development.

Heavy weight! AlphaFold 3 has been released! Comprehensive analysis of the eight major characteristics! New drug discovery, precise prediction, free platform, massive database, 3D reconstruction, AI revolution!

4. Simeglutide, a weight loss drug, has become popular due to its significant weight loss effect. It simulates the action of GLP-1, regulates appetite, slows down gastric emptying, increases insulin secretion, thereby reducing food intake and weight. 

With the severe global obesity problem, its market demand has increased significantly.

International pharmaceutical companies such as Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are making comprehensive bets. However, there may be side effects such as gastrointestinal discomfort during use, and long-term safety needs to be studied. 

How to improve accessibility and reduce costs while ensuring effectiveness and safety is the challenge and opportunity for its future development.

5. International pharmaceutical and vaccine giants join forces with Open AI. In April 2024, international pharmaceutical giant Moderna will have a deep collaboration with Open AI. 

Moderna utilizes Open AI technology to establish 750+GPTs, optimize various stages of mRNA vaccine development, and improve efficiency and success rate; Open AI and Sanofi build drug development software to optimize the entire drug development process.

These collaborations have accelerated the pharmaceutical research and development process, demonstrated the potential of AI in the pharmaceutical field, and heralded industrial transformation.

6. CAR-T cell gene therapy is a synthetic biology application in the field of medicine for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. This therapy extracts T cells from the patient's body, undergoes genetic engineering, and introduces CAR to recognize and attack abnormal B cells in autoimmune diseases, reprogramming T cell function.

German research shows good results for patients with lupus and other diseases, with some patients achieving drug free remission. 

However, this therapy carries risks such as immune overreaction. In the future, CAR design needs to be optimized to improve specificity and effectiveness, reduce costs, and promote its development in the field of autoimmune disease treatment, bringing hope to more patients.

Three synthetic biology studies have been selected as one of the top ten scientific breakthroughs of 2024 by Science!

7. Synthetic biology helps to produce cheaper vaccines. 

In May 2024, Nature published results, and the University of California, Berkeley and others synthesized vaccine adjuvant QS-21 in yeast. The traditional extraction of QS-21 from plants is limited by plant growth and extraction processes, with high costs and unstable yields.

Synthetic biology methods utilize the fast reproduction and easy cultivation characteristics of yeast to achieve efficient production, reduce costs, and be more environmentally friendly. This is expected to make QS-21 more widely used in vaccines and improve vaccine accessibility.

8. Chinese scientists have made breakthroughs in the field of paclitaxel biosynthesis. 

In early 2024, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and other institutions published key achievements in paclitaxel biosynthesis in Science, successfully identifying key enzymes, revealing new mechanisms, and achieving the biosynthesis of Bacardine III. Previously, the extraction of paclitaxel relied on rare plants, which limited its yield.

This breakthrough has enabled China to take the lead in this field and is expected to achieve large-scale and sustainable production through synthetic biology, providing a guarantee for the global supply of anti-cancer drugs and reducing costs.

9. The application of RNA pesticides, such as Calantha, is a result of the application of synthetic biology in agriculture. It uses RNA interference technology to design RNA molecules targeting pest genes, blocking the expression of key pest genes to kill insects. 

Compared to traditional pesticides, it accurately targets specific pests, does not harm non target species, and is environmentally friendly and efficient.

Calantha has shown significant effectiveness in controlling Colorado potato beetles, solving the problem of drug resistance and reducing crop losses. But pests may develop resistance, and future optimization of usage strategies is needed, such as adjusting dosage, frequency, and combination reasonably to ensure long-term effectiveness.

10. China leads the release of the first international standard for quality control of synthetic genes. 

In 2024, China leads the release of an international standard for quality control of synthetic genes, covering quality control requirements throughout the entire production process, including raw materials, synthesis processes, product quality indicators, and storage and transportation.

This achievement enhances China's international discourse power in the field of biotechnology standards, provides unified norms for the global synthetic gene industry, demonstrates China's synthetic biology technology strength and innovation capability, and helps Chinese enterprises expand their international markets.