Synthetic Biology Research is Growing Strongly, Map Shows Global Hotspots of Activity

Synthetic biology, an area of research focused on the design and construction of new biological parts and devices, or the re-design of existing biological systems, is an emerging field and the focus of labs and companies around the world. The number of private and public entities conducting research in synthetic biology worldwide grew significantly between 2009 and 2013, according to the latest version of an interactive map produced by the Synthetic Biology Project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

The map project was started in 2009 and is now populated with more than 500 companies, universities, research institutions and other entities like government labs working on synthetic biology. The highest concentrations of these entities can be found in these hotspots of activity: San Francisco, Boston, Tokyo, Shanghai, London and the traditional German high-tech and pharmaceutical triangle between Munich, Frankfurt and Basel. These hotspots are part of larger regional clusters including California, the East Coast, Western Europe and East Asia.

"Part of this new activity has been driven by continuing government investments in the science," said David Rejeski, who directs the Synthetic Biology Project. "Another important factor has been the rapidly declining costs of gene sequencing, which has supported more effective approaches to engineering biological systems."

The Synthetic Biology Project found that the number of companies conducting synthetic biology research increased three-fold since 2009. A plurality of the companies involved in synthetic biology is focusing on developing bio-based specialty chemicals, fuels and/or medicines.

Since 2009, the industry has also experienced moderate levels of consolidation and failure, with about 10% of companies included on the initial 2009 inventory been acquired by other companies, closed their doors or can no longer be identified.

The map can be found here: www.synbioproject.org/map