Notes from SynBioBeta 2018

From the synthetic biology conference, at UCSF today, on the “Mushroom Stage” (Ecovative’s panels and translucent letters grown as a filamentous fungus mycelium):

• The radical experiment that has been run over the past 100 years shifting the microbiome of infants and provoking a wide array of immune disorders (allergies, asthma, diabetes)

• Growing CBD and THC in micro-algae with much higher efficiency than the marijuana plant

• Optical brain control of mice — making them attack on command

On this stage; Ed Boyden of MIT
40Hz stimulation can trigger the immune system in the brain and clean up amyloid plaques. We show a movie with visuals and sounds sync’d to 40Hz. We have a startup doing this in human trials now.

You can implant memories with optogenetics, but can you drive a decision?
“In mice, we can drive aggression; we can make them attack whatever is next to them, even a lab glove. There are many ethical considerations as there are brain regions to influence trust, perceived fairness in deal-making and many others”

Bryan Johnson, OS Fund
“In 15 years, brain interfaces will be as common as the cell phone.” (!)
Backing off from initial focus on brain implants: “So few investors were interested. I was stunned at their lack of curiosity.”

Michael Mendez, Renew BioPharma:
“CBD and TDC are just 2 of hundreds of cannabinoids in marijuana. Manufacturing? It’s farming today, very expensive farming. 99% of the product grown is a waste stream. Less than 1% of the total mass carbon goes into product. Micro-algae are the best host. Same OS. Plant to plant. And great that it’s in a liquid as we go direct to fermentation.”
Meghan Palmer, Center of Int’l Security & Cooperation: “The FBI has been a sponsor of IGEM for a decade.” (IGEM the genetically engineered organisms competition for college students)
Hugh Goold, Macquerie University — “Australia has a $11B Ag industry and spent $1B on drought relief last year. Syn Bio will be a transformative tech.”