3 ms·

While I agree with you with health-related biotech, not all biotech is in this area. There are quite a number of industrial uses for biotech that would not req

by pcrh 11y ago

While I agree with you with health-related biotech, not all biotech is in this area. There are quite a number of industrial uses for biotech that would not require the extensive testing and validation required for drugs. Examples might be isolating novel enzymes for biocatalysis from the vast microbiome that remains to be explored, novelty decorative plants, etc...

DaveWalk 11y ago
Your examples are intriguing, but I wonder precisely how much they would cost. "Enzyme isolation" means a suite of biology tools, which you could store in a garage, but aren't cheap like a laptop, server, internet connection or AWS might be. Thinking to the most basic biology research I know, that's got to be at least $25,000 to get started. And as a scientist I don't know how much I'd trust results from someone's unregulated garage. That said, I once heard a legent that the founder of New England Biolabs sold the first restriction enzymes out of a cooler in the trunk of his car in the 70s. I wonder if they were produced in a garage, too?
- pcrh 11y ago
  Enzyme isolation might be tricky, and unpredictable, but the equipment isn't particularly expensive. You can buy top-of the range equipment from various suppliers, or literally build it yourself. You could build a system like ÄKTA [0] yourself if you have a minimum of engineering knowledge. Or share a second-hand version with some other "biohackers". The advantage that a bio-hacker might have, though, is in the ability to patent novel proteins or processes, and then trade those for further investment. The time-to-market for novel biological processes/inventions is far too long to expect a significant first mover advantage without significant financial backing and IP protection. [0]http://www.gelifesciences.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/catalog/en/GELifeSciences/brands/akta/ http://www.gelifesciences.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/cata...

by pcrh 11y ago

DaveWalk 11y ago

Your examples are intriguing, but I wonder precisely how much they would cost. "Enzyme isolation" means a suite of biology tools, which you could store in a garage, but aren't cheap like a laptop, server, internet connection or AWS might be. Thinking to the most basic biology research I know, that's got to be at least $25,000 to get started. And as a scientist I don't know how much I'd trust results from someone's unregulated garage. That said, I once heard a legent that the founder of New England Biolabs sold the first restriction enzymes out of a cooler in the trunk of his car in the 70s. I wonder if they were produced in a garage, too?

pcrh 11y ago
Enzyme isolation might be tricky, and unpredictable, but the equipment isn't particularly expensive. You can buy top-of the range equipment from various suppliers, or literally build it yourself. You could build a system like ÄKTA [0] yourself if you have a minimum of engineering knowledge. Or share a second-hand version with some other "biohackers". The advantage that a bio-hacker might have, though, is in the ability to patent novel proteins or processes, and then trade those for further investment. The time-to-market for novel biological processes/inventions is far too long to expect a significant first mover advantage without significant financial backing and IP protection. [0]http://www.gelifesciences.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/catalog/en/GELifeSciences/brands/akta/ http://www.gelifesciences.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/cata...