Isevisi ye-Microbe-engineering: Izinkampani manje zingathenga izinto eziphilayo zokwenziwa

• About the Author:
• Igama lomlobi

  I-Quantumrun Foresight
• December 21, 2022

Isifinyezo sokuqonda

I-synthetic biology iphathelene nokudala izitho ezishintshayo kanye nezinhlobo eziyingqayizivele zezinto eziphilayo. Lokhu kuqanjwa kabusha kuholele kumafemu e-biotech kanye neziqalo ezihlinzeka ngokutholwa kwamagciwane amasha njengesevisi, ikakhulukazi yokuthuthukiswa kwezidakamizwa kanye nocwaningo lwezifo. Eminye imithelela yesikhathi eside yale sevisi ingase ihlanganise izingxenye ze-biodegradable ze-electronics kanye nama-organoid ahlukahlukene kakhulu okuhlolwa kwezidakamizwa.

Umongo wesevisi ye-Microbe-engineering

Izazi zezinto eziphilayo ziye zathola ukuthi amanye amagciwane awazona nje izinto ezingase zibe yingozi kodwa futhi azuzisa impilo yomuntu. Lawa "ama-probiotics" - ama-microorganisms aphilayo athuthukisa impilo yethu lapho esetshenziswe ngokwanele - ikakhulukazi izinhlobo zamabhaktheriya e-lactic acid asevele ekhona ekudleni okuthile. Ngenxa yobuchwepheshe besizukulwane esilandelayo bokulandelana kwe-DNA, sifunda kabanzi mayelana namagciwane asibiza ngokuthi sisekhaya—nokuthi abaluleke kangakanani empilweni yethu.

Ososayensi bangama-microbes obunjiniyela bokwelapha, benza izinhlobo ezintsha ze-microbial, futhi baqondise ekuthuthukisweni kwezinhlobo ezikhona. Ukuze kuzuzwe lezi zinto ezintsha, abacwaningi bayashintsha futhi balandele izimiso zebhayoloji yokwenziwa. Izinhlobo ezintsha ze-microbe zizoba ngaphezu kwalokho okukhona njengamanje njengencazelo ye-probiotic yokusetshenziswa kokudla. Esikhundleni salokho, imboni yemithi ingase iwathathe njenge "pharmacbiotics" noma "imikhiqizo ephilayo ye-biotherapeutic," ngokocwaningo olushicilelwe ku-Frontiers in Microbiology.

Amagciwane amaningi akhiwe ngofuzo ahlolelwe ukulethwa kwe-antigen yokugoma, kodwa ambalwa afinyelele izivivinyo zomtholampilo zabantu. Okunye okungase kusetshenziswe amagciwane akhiwe kufaka ukwelapha izifo ze-autoimmune, ukuvuvukala, umdlavuza, izifo, kanye nokuphazamiseka kwe-metabolic. Ngenxa yosizo lwamagciwane akhiwe ngofuzo, amafemu amaningi e-biotech awahlola ngale kwezempilo kanye nemikhakha eyahlukene, njengezolimo nesayensi yezinto zokwakha.

Umthelela ophazamisayo

Ngo-2021, isiqalisi se-biotechnology esizinze e-US i-Zymergen samemezela izinhlelo zayo zokusheshisa ukuthuthukiswa komkhiqizo omusha kuma-biopolymers nezinye izinto zomkhakha wezogesi kanye nokunakekelwa kwabathengi. Ngokusho komsunguli u-Zach Serber, kukhona ukuvuselelwa kwesayensi yezinto ezibonakalayo ngenxa yobuningi bamakhemikhali atholakala ngebhayoloji. Ngama-biomolecules angaphezu kuka-75,000 ku-Zymergen, kukhona ukunqwabelana okuncane phakathi kwalokho okungatholakala emvelweni nalokho okudingeka ukuthengwa emithonjeni yezentengiso.

Umnikelo wokuqala ka-Zymergen wasesidlangalaleni ngo-2021 wawuvumela ukuthi unyuse ama-USD $500 wezigidi, okubeka inani lawo cishe ku-$3 billion. Inkampani ihlela ukwethula imikhiqizo emisha nge-synthetic biology eminyakeni emihlanu noma ngaphansi ngenani leshumi lamakhemikhali nezinto zokwakha zendabuko. Ngokusho kokugcwalisa kwayo ne-US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), umugqa wesikhathi olinganiselwe wokwethula umkhiqizo cishe iminyaka emihlanu, ubiza u-USD $50 wezigidi.

Enye indawo yocwaningo lwamagciwane akhiwe ngofuzo isendaweni kamanyolo wamakhemikhali. Ngo-2022, ososayensi benza izivivinyo zokubuyisela lezi zinto ezingcolisayo ngama-microbes akhiwe ngofuzo. Abacwaningi baguqule izinhlobo zebhaktheriya eziguquguqukayo ukuze ziqoqe izimpande zezitshalo zelayisi futhi zilethe umfudlana we-nitrogen kuzo. Bangakwenza lokho ngaphandle kokumosha ngokushintsha inani le-ammonia amagciwane akhiqizwayo. 

Ithimba liphakamisa ukuthi, esikhathini esizayo, abacwaningi bangakha amagciwane ngokukhethekile ukuze bahlangabezane nezidingo zezitshalo. Lokhu kuthuthukiswa kunganciphisa ukugeleza kwe-nitrogen kanye ne-eutrophication, inqubo eyenzeka lapho udoti wamakhemikhali ovela enhlabathini ukhukhulela emanzini. 

Imithelela yezinsizakalo ze-microbe-engineering

Imithelela ebanzi yezinsizakalo zobunjiniyela be-microbe ingafaka: 

• Amafemu e-Biopharma asebenzisana nezinkampani ze-biotech ukusheshisa ukuthuthukiswa kwezidakamizwa nokuhlolwa.
• Amafemu emboni yamakhemikhali asungulwe ahlukanisa imisebenzi yawo ngokudala noma ngokutshala imali ekuqalweni kobunjiniyela be-microbe ukuze kwakheka amagciwane aklanyelwe ukukhiqiza izinhlanganisela zamakhemikhali ezingandile.
• Iziqalo ezigxile ekuthuthukisweni kwe-biomedical material, njengezinto eziqinile, eziguquguqukayo, izakhi ze-biodegradable ze-electronics.
• Intuthuko ekuhleleni izakhi zofuzo nobuchwepheshe bokulandelana okuholela ekusetshenzisweni okunwetshiwe kwezingxenye ezikhiqizwe ngofuzo, njengamarobhothi aphilayo angakwazi ukuzilungisa wona.
• Ukusebenzisana okwengeziwe phakathi kwezikhungo zocwaningo kanye ne-biopharma ukuze kutholwe amagciwane amasha nemithi yokugoma.
• Ama-organoid ahlukahlukene kanye nama-body-in-a-chip prototypes angasetshenziswa ukutadisha izifo ezahlukene kanye nokwelapha ngofuzo.

Imibuzo okufanele icatshangelwe

• Ucabanga ukuthi ubunjiniyela be-microbe njengesevisi bazolushintsha kanjani ucwaningo lwezokwelapha?
• Yiziphi izinselele ezingaba khona zokusebenzisa izinto ezenziwe ngofuzo?