The Biomanufacturing Dilemma: Building Capacity in the Context of Capitalism

<div class="ag87-crtemvc-hsbk"><div class="css-vsf5of"><p class="carina-rte-public-DraftStyleDefault-block"><span style="color: rgb(29,28,29);">Synthetic biology applications have the potential to substitute 1/3 of the global supply chain and unlock a $30 TN bioeconomy. Engineered microorganisms can produce a wide range of products from materials, food, medicine, and consumer products. However, the unit economics for building large-scale biomanufacturing for molecules in the low-value/high-volume spectrum are difficult to reach. Challenges such as: high CAPEX, the investment cost of capital, long lead facility development, rigid purpose infrastructure, workforce gaps, and the unpredictability of biology at a large scale (+100,000L) are some of the reasons behind the lack of biomanufacturing capacity. What strategies can we implement to tackle these challenges?</span></p></div></div>