John Cumbers
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Viewpoint: Pesticides can be harmful—but they’re also ‘vital to human health and global food security’
As much as pesticides are a threat to certain ecosystems, they’re also responsible for providing the planet with food in ...
Mosquitoes are one of humanity’s most dangerous enemies. Here’s how synthetic biology might lead to a long-lasting repellant
Vector-borne diseases, such as malaria, dengue, and Zika, are pathogens that can be transmitted through the bite of an insect ...
How synthetic biology can eliminate pollutants in wastewater and soil
Allonnia launched with $40 million in funding to engineer and commercialize microbes to eliminate pollutants in wastewater and soil. "The waste ...
Viewpoint: Farming one of the ‘most inefficient industries.’ The CRISPR revolution could change that
Agriculture is one of the most inefficient industries on the planet. Current industrial farming methods demand unsustainable amounts of water, ...
Pesticide evolution: Can natural chemicals help battle insects, weeds and disease without harming the planet?
A new collaboration between the two R&D pioneers aims to accelerate the discovery of breakthrough crop protection technologies. If you ...
Growing fish in space: Lab-grown tuna could feed astronauts of the future
.... [S]ending items into space is extremely expensive—about $10,000 a pound. Space dwellers will need to find a way to ...
Opening the floodgates to synthetic biology innovations in drugs, textiles, agricultural products and advanced materials
Today’s DNA makers still create their products using chemistry. To form a new double helix, the individual letters of DNA ...
Injecting live bacteria into tumors? Synthetic biology revives a controversial century old cancer cure
Could the body, in fighting against a pathogen, also be battling a tumor? After injecting bacteria into a patient who ...
‘Sugar is the villain’: Biohacking and synthetic biology do battle against diabetes and heart disease
Here’s a look into the next generation of low-calorie sugar alternatives and continuous glucose monitoring systems set to change the ...
If we want to go to Mars, we’ll need to figure out how to feed our astronauts. Synthetic biology can help.
Revolutionary food production and closed-loop biomanufacturing could transform human space travel and address the growing food crisis on Earth ...
Can we prevent another pandemic with lab-grown, plant-based meat?
In September 2019—two months before the first reported case of the coronavirus—the World Health Organization published a report that said, ...
Can synthetic biology help deliver an AI brain as smart as the real thing?
To create artificial general intelligence, we need to study the brain ...
Genetically modified mosquitoes are a small price to pay for malaria eradication
Will opponents of gene engineering deny prevention to suffering families? ...
‘Drink like there is tomorrow’: Inside the quest to prevent hangovers with a GMO probiotic
Engineered probiotics and other microbes provide amazing opportunities ...
‘Next industrial revolution’: How synthetic biology will transform manufacturing and improve sustainability
To create sustainable cities, we need to use synthetic biology ...
Viewpoint: Paper straws, vegan diets won’t stop climate change—but sustainable ‘bioproducts’ might
Are you slurping through a paper straw, searching for the next green product that will save the planet? Sorry to ...
Sustainable synthetic biology is taking over cosmetics, personal care
Synthetic biology companies are already producing many of the ingredients found in personal care products using biosynthesis, the same basic ...
Podcast: Turning mushrooms into bacon (and other cool stuff) to boost sustainability
Today John Cumbers [founder and CEO of SynBioBeta] talks with Eben Bayer, CEO and Co-Founder of the biomaterials company Ecovative ...
As technology ‘wipes out’ traditional work, biotech investment could revitalize rural America
Cow-free burgers are now all the rage — after Beyond Meats’ recent IPO, shares rose 163% on the first day ...
Synthetic biology could outperform plants at producing marijuana components. But obstacles remain.
Using the tools of synthetic biology, innovators are making a bold move into the cannabinoid industry, particularly as cannabinoids are ...
