Synbiopunk2021: A Carnival for Bio-Developers – Bridging Innovation and Industry in Synthetic Biology
“The 21st century is the century of biology, and also the century of synthetic biology.”
As an emerging interdisciplinary field in the 21st century, Synthetic Biology employs engineering principles, concepts, and methodologies, integrating knowledge and technologies from mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science, and other disciplines to “write” new life forms or modify existing ones. This has led to a qualitative leap in humanity’s understanding of the essence of life, guiding us from an era of “acquiring knowledge through observing things” to one of “gaining insight through creation.” Due to its vast application prospects, synthetic biology has become a disruptive technological domain that developed countries in Europe and America are striving to advance.
After two decades of development, the field of synthetic biology has “blossomed across multiple fronts,” achieving remarkable accomplishments in agriculture, bioenergy, biomaterials, medical technology, and many other areas.
In recent years, driven by strong government support and concerted efforts from the research and industrial sectors, China’s synthetic biology field has witnessed rapid development, with certain academic studies already at the international forefront. However, it must be acknowledged that there is still considerable room for improvement in the industrial application of this field within China. Accelerating the translation of scientific achievements into industrial applications, ultimately resulting in products that deliver tangible societal benefits, is an endeavor being actively pursued by many dedicated professionals.
Against this backdrop, to strengthen communication and collaboration among industry, academia, and research institutions in the field of synthetic biology, enhance investors’ and government agencies’ deeper understanding of its development, connect all nodes of the industrial value chain, and convey the most timely progress and genuine needs at each stage of development, byInitiated by Ailurus Biotechnology (Shenzhen Xunzhu Biotechnology Co., Ltd.) and co-organized with Beisheng Biotechnology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. and MiraclePlus,Co-organized by the Young Enthusiasts Association of Engineering Biology under the Shenzhen Synthetic Biology Association, Pujiang Capital Market Training Base, and InnoSpace; supported by the Shanghai Association for Science and Technology and the Genetics Society of Shanghai; and sponsored by Huaheng Biotechnology and Bluepha MicrobiologySynbiopunk 2021 and Bio-Developer Conference, Themed “Link Start”Held at Innovation Tower in Yangpu District, Shanghai, on October 9–10.
On the first day of the conference, dozens of academic leaders, representatives from over 100 companies, and numerous investors were in attendance,Including researchers from academic institutions such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Zhejiang University; founders or executives from industry leaders such as Bluepha, Huaheng Biotechnology, and Amazon Web Services (AWS); and distinguished investors from renowned venture capital firms including Sequoia Capital, 5Y Capital, and Zhilin Capital.
Group Photo of Attendees
On October 10, there were even moreAcademician Zhao Guoping, a leading figure in the field of synthetic biology and a molecular biologistAttended the event in person and delivered a presentation titled“From Synthetic Biology to Convergent Research”keynote address. Meanwhile, the conference attracted numerous R&D professionals from bioengineering enterprises and students from top Chinese universities.
Conference Opening, byDr. Haotian Guo, Founder & CEO of Ailurus BiotechnologyDelivered opening remarks at the event, introducing to attendees the background behind the conference’s inception and its distinctive format.
Dr. Guo Haotian stated that Synbiopunk 2021, as the inaugural conference of the Synbiopunk and Bio-Developer Conference series, adopted the theme “Link Start” to initiate connections. The event aims to provide all biotechnology professionals with a more efficient platform and a more comfortable space, bringing together various nodes and communities across the entire industry chain to foster exchange and collaboration, thereby better promoting the development of the ecosystem in synthetic biology and the broader field of engineering biology.
Dr. Haotian Guo, Founder & CEO of Ailurus Biotechnology, Delivers Opening Remarks at the Conference
This is a carnival for “bio-developers.” The Synbiopunk Conference is also the world’s first conference dedicated to “bio-developers.”
What is a “bio-developer”? Dr. Guo Haotian explains, “As in the IT industry, the division of labor in today’s biotechnology sector has become increasingly specialized; we can no longer broadly refer to all practitioners as bioengineers or scientists, as we did in the past.”Within the biotechnology industry’s value chain, there exists an intermediate tier of professionals who neither investigate fundamental mechanisms nor engage in clinical trials or scaled-up manufacturing. Instead, they focus on source innovation in biotechnology and the development of new products. By categorizing based on division of labor rather than research subjects, and drawing a parallel to the IT industry, we refer to this group as “bio-developers.”“They may be active across various specialized fields, with their work potentially involving strain development for fermentation products, chassis microorganism reconstruction, protein drug design, and even molecular breeding or organoid engineering.”
Given their shared characteristics, bio-developers often have similar needs, such as better development tools, a more open community, timelier market feedback, a richer ecosystem of upstream and downstream suppliers, and more mature capital support. These elements are essential to enhancing bio-development efficiency and ultimately driving the rapid growth of the entire industry—precisely what Ailurus Biotechnology aims to deliver through this conference.
In the upcoming “Platform Institution Showcase” segment, fromAmazon Web Services, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Yifang Health Data, Ailurus BiotechnologySeveral representative platform-based institutions in the industry delivered impressive presentations. As upstream nodes in the synthetic biology industrial chain, these platform-based institutions primarily provide various tool support and technical services to traditional biotechnology enterprises in areas such as design, production, and supply, thereby facilitating information linkage between upstream and downstream companies.
Dr. Li Jian of Amazon Web Services Delivers On-Site Remarks
Whether it is the diverse, customized cloud services provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS), the foundational synthetic biology infrastructure platform established in Shenzhen, or the data sharing and analytics platform based on privacy-preserving secure computation developed by Yifang JianShu, Ailurus Biotechnology’s ultra-high-throughput Ailurus vecTMThe cloud-based vector testing platform has allowed the audience to gain insight into what constitutes a platform-type product and the immense value it creates. In the words of Bill Gates, the value created by users of the platform exceeds the value of the platform company itself.
Regarding the significance of this setup, Dr. Guo Haotian told VCBeat, “In the past, we encountered many such scenarios—On the one hand, developers working on the front lines in laboratories are unaware that there are already excellent tools available on the market to help them accelerate R&D, reduce costs, and minimize repetitive labor; on the other hand, institutions with platform capabilities often struggle to reach customers and typically incur substantial marketing expenses.“We have introduced this segment with the aim of further lowering the barriers to interaction between both parties.”
Following the high-profile presentations of platform-based services and products, the SynCamp event—conducted in the “Unconference” self-organized meeting format and most anticipated by attendees of this Synbiopunk conference—commenced.
Self-organized conference formats originated in the foreign computer industry, marking a first for China’s biological sciences community. Self-organized conferences are characterized by“The right people are those who show up,” “The only thing that could have happened is what did happen,” “The right time is whenever it begins,” and “When it’s over, it’s over.”as the four fundamental principles. The conference features no keynote speeches and no scheduled breaks, allowing attendees to freely initiate discussions and organize sessions, thereby ensuring ample opportunity for every passionate and idea-driven participant to contribute.
The conference features five parallel sessions dedicated to diverse topics. Attendees can use the online schedule to join rooms aligned with their interests or initiate real-time discussions on topics they wish to explore. Each self-organized session may take various forms, including expert-led short presentations followed by viewpoint discussions, roundtable discussions convened by individuals with shared interests, in-depth dialogues with leading experts triggered by specific questions, or introductions to new work initiated through project showcases.
Here, you can engage in face-to-face conversations with industry leaders on a wide range of topics. These may include seeking insider scoops and gossip among company founders, uncovering the “hidden” stories behind industry pioneers, or sharing commiserations among retail investors in the U.S. stock market. Alternatively, you can delve into serious discussions on cutting-edge innovations in synthetic biology, strategies to advance its commercialization, and approaches to co-building an R&D ecosystem that lowers the barriers to biological development.
The flexible and open format of the conference enabled attendees to engage in vigorous intellectual exchanges on topics of their interest. Compared with traditional “lecture-style” conferences, this “Unconference” provided participants with a deeper and more connected sense of engagement.
The final segment of the first day’s conference—“Synbiopunk Challenge: Sustainability Challenge”—was hosted byJiang Shan, Co-founder of Ailurus BiotechnologyTo host the event, with the aim of integrating resources to facilitate the implementation of innovative synthetic biology solutions and support the achievement of sustainable development goals.
Currently, many investors share a common view: there is no shortage of capital in any sector; what is lacking are “good companies” and “strong teams.” So, how can one identify such “good companies” and “strong teams”? Are there more effective approaches to doing so?
The founding team of Ailurus Biotechnology, drawing on their experience participating in multiple iGEM competitions, believes that projects similar to those undertaken by iGEM teams require not only an understanding of market demand but also insights into the product landscape, user feedback, and marketing promotion. In essence, these projects are already very close to being entrepreneurial ventures; however, the rate at which such university-born projects are successfully translated into operational startups remains very low.
Dr. Guo Haotian stated,“Synbiopunk Challenge: Sustainability Challenge” aims to provide a high-quality, low-cost platform for young scholars to showcase their research projects, offer resources for further refinement of their outcomes, and promote and guide innovation and entrepreneurship in the field of synthetic biology, whether through academic publications or commercialization.
In this challenge, teams from multiple universities, including Tsinghua University, Central South University, Jiangnan University, and ShanghaiTech University, competed through roadshows for rankings, ultimatelyCentral South UniversityThe team claimed the top prize in the on-site voting, winning a cash award of RMB 120,000 provided by Ailurus Biotechnology and direct admission to the 5Y Capital 2022 3Sigma Bootcamp. Meanwhile, the top three teams will each have the opportunity to receive substantial discount vouchers for Amazon Web Services (AWS). In addition, all projects shortlisted for the offline roadshow will receive a cash award of RMB 10,000 and platform service vouchers worth RMB 10,000 from Ailurus Biotechnology, as well as the opportunity to rent shared laboratory space at the Starry Sky College of the Shenzhen Engineering Biology Industry Innovation Center on a rent-free basis.
Following the roadshow, outstanding project teams engaged in direct resource discussions with corporate investors, providing promising projects with the opportunity to accelerate their path toward commercialization.
On the morning of October 10,Academician Zhao Guoping, a leading figure in the field of synthetic biology and a molecular biologistDelivered a keynote address titled “From Synthetic Biology to Convergent Research” at the conference, engaging attendees interested in the synthetic biology industry.
Academician Zhao Guoping reviewed the history of synthetic biology development in China, tracing the evolution from the initial understanding of the field by the Chinese scientific community to subsequent pioneering explorations and practices. He pointed out that future research in this area will focus on two major tasks—protocell research and biological metabolic engineering research—and require breakthroughs in three key technologies: protocell design, genome synthesis and editing, and non-natural biomolecule design. He further highlighted that the primary challenges and technological hurdles facing the future of synthetic biology lie in the lack of rational design capabilities and predictability.
However, Academician Zhao also stated that we should seize the opportunities brought by the big data era, encourage exploration, highlight originality, focus on frontiers, break through bottlenecks, and promote interdisciplinary integration with a common-orientation approach. At the end of his speech, Academician Zhao issued a call to the attendees present: “Synthetic biologists in the new era“Conduct genuine research, investigate real problems, and solve practical issues.”...’s fervent appeal. Following the keynote report, participants continued with intense and in-depth SynCamp discussions.
At 3:30 p.m., the closing ceremony of the conference proceeded as scheduled.John Cumbers, Founder of SynBioBeta, the World’s Largest Synthetic Biology ConferenceSurprisingly delivered Chinese blessings.
With this, the inaugural Synbiopunk and Bio-Developer Conference drew to a successful close. Yet attendees were left wanting more, eagerly anticipating the intellectual sparks and surprises that the next Synbiopunk conference will bring. At the dawn of the third decade of synthetic biology, Synbiopunk 2021 forged new connections through “novel concepts and formats.” From this starting point, bio-developers joined hands to link the stars and build a galaxy, collectively defining the future of synthetic biology.