Overview

Industrial Biotechnology focuses on technical challenges relevant to industrial use of synthetic biology and the establishment of the United States as a global leader in the bio-based economy. Applications of engineering biology in this sector focus on increasing market share of bio-based products by US companies through the use of synthetic biology approaches, making sustainable manufacturing processes cost-competitive, accelerating innovation and discovery with respect to making new products and technologies, and generating products at scales necessary for economic viability. The goal is to stimulate investment in infrastructure, streamline production, and advance our use of engineering biology to improve lives.

Societal Challenges & Science/Engineering Aims

Enable next-generation production through sustainable, cost-competitive, flexible, and efficient manufacturing processes.

These Science and Engineering Aims are designed to help overcome the identified Societal Challenge:

• Better use of abundant, renewable substrates to make specialty chemicals via economically viable processes.

• More efficient production of (bio)chemicals, bio-based products, and other specialty materials.

• Modular manufacturing to enable flexible, on-demand production of a range of target chemicals.

Scalable production of novel and existing products that are more sustainable and economically- and environmentally-friendly.

These Science and Engineering Aims are designed to help overcome the identified Societal Challenge:

• Improved ability to identify and make commodity, specialty, and high value chemicals and materials.

• Manufacturing of consumable and infrastructure products via synthetic biology, including food, textiles, building materials, and packaging.

• Safer production processes through reduced toxin use and toxic byproduct synthesis.

• Better tools for rapidly translating desired products or process features into industrial workflows and accelerate time-to-market.

Footnotes

Many of the Challenges, Aims, and Objectives of the roadmap for Industrial Biotechnology are influenced by the findings of Industrialization of biology: A roadmap to accelerate the advanced manufacturing of chemicals. Committee on Industrialization of Biology: A Roadmap to Accelerate the Advanced Manufacturing of Chemicals, Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology, Board on Life Sciences, Division on Earth and Life Studies, & National Research Council. (2015). Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US).