Fish and Spiderwebs Designed for Our Future - A Digital Garage Event on Synthetic Biology Startups

I attended a Digital Garage event on Monday in San Francisco that focused on how startups in the synthetic biology and genomics spaces are working with larger corporations in developing and bringing their products to the market. Two standout companies that were part of the panel discussion were Finless Foods, a recent startup that is utilizing cellular-agriculture technology to grow real fish and seafood from marine cells as an alternative to traditional fishing or harvesting, and Spiber, a company founded in 2007 that has modified spider silk DNA to develop products from the protein for the apparel and automotive industries.

With rising demand for food protein, Finless Foods is producing fish, one of the healthiest sources of protein, while alleviating the over-exploited or depleted fisheries. They are doing this by sourcing healthy fish cells and growing them into real fish products, free from pollutants and from the effects of global warming. It's an idea that is beneficial for us as consumers and for the environment.

Spiber has modified spider silk DNA to manufacture a versatile protein that is to bring in a new revolution - an era of synthetic proteins used as industrial materials. Spider silk, which is stronger and tougher than steel and has variable mechanical properties, presents a unique material for the apparel and automotive industries. The synthetic protein has already been used in the manufacture of a remarkable outdoor jacket based on a The North Face design and in a concept seat for Lexus.

I was really impressed and fascinated by the ideas presented by the Finless Foods and Spiber panel and would be eager to try their products out. The companies are introducing important products and ideas that will change what we eat and use to create everyday products, while revolutionizing the processes of how we do it.

Photo by michael podger on Unsplash