Rapid Response: The promise and peril of engineering biology, w/Ginkgo Bioworks Reshma Shetty

Investments

Reshma Shetty emphasizes the importance of long-term investments in biotechnology research, even when immediate financial returns are not apparent. She explains that Ginkgo Bioworks has made significant leaps in synthetic DNA technology by taking bold, forward-leaning bets. These investments have allowed Ginkgo to scale their capabilities and drive technological advancements.

We knew that both to advance the technology and to change the scale at which we were engineering biology, we needed to make that investment.

--- Reshma Shetty

Bob Safian notes that such research was traditionally funded by government and academic labs, but Shetty believes that private companies like Ginkgo can tackle problems that require large, diverse teams and substantial resources 1.

   

Collaboration

Collaborative efforts, both internal and external, are crucial to Ginkgo's success. Reshma Shetty highlights how the pandemic accelerated the adoption of existing technologies and spurred new developments, particularly in mRNA vaccines. This rapid adoption has driven further technological investments and advancements.

I think there's been a mix of adoption of existing technologies as well as new technology development.

--- Reshma Shetty

Bob Safian adds that Ginkgo's platform serves a wide range of industries, from healthcare to agriculture, demonstrating the broad impact of their collaborative efforts 2 3.