I-Corps: Outsourcing molecular cloning through standardized, high-throughput DNA assembly

分子克隆--重组DNA的构建--是现代生物学，特别是合成生物学的基础。然而，传统的克隆方法和DNA合成已无法满足日益增长的需求，并限制了发现和工程的步伐。先进的DNA组装技术正在提高产量，但研究人员仍负责在内部执行这些步骤的事实表明，可能存在未解决的市场机会。这个I-Corps团队的提案将探索DNA组装作为一种服务的商业可行性。合成生物学提供了有助于操纵重组DNA的尖端技术，但这些新技术的全部潜力尚未实现。许多科学家回避采用新方法，因为与他们目前的实践相比，它们似乎过于困难。有些人不情愿地支付高昂的费用来合成他们的DNA。DNA组装服务公司将颠覆目前的定制DNA市场，提供比任何现有供应商更低的价格和更快的周转时间。这一进展的结果将是双重的：基础和应用研究的总体步伐将加快;研究费用将降低。后一种效应对下一代生物学家和生物工程师的教育和培训有着有趣的影响。如果降低研究成本，不仅可以培养更多的科学家，而且可以教会他们以不同的方式思考，使他们只受自己思想范围的限制，而不受其他因素的限制。不受执行能力的限制。

Molecular cloning--the construction of recombinant DNA--is the foundation of modern biology, particularly synthetic biology. However, traditional cloning methods and DNA synthesis have failed to meet growing demand and are limiting the pace of discovery and engineering. Advanced DNA assembly technologies are improving throughput, but the fact that researchers are still responsible for performing these steps in-house suggests there may be an unaddressed market opportunity. This I-Corps Teams proposal will explore the commercial feasibility of DNA assembly as a service.Synthetic biology has provided cutting-edge technologies that aid in the manipulation of recombinant DNA, but the full potential of these new techniques has not yet been realized. Many scientists shy away from adopting new methods because they seem overly difficult compared to their current practice. Some reluctantly pay exorbitant sums to get their DNA synthesized. A DNA assembly service company would disrupt the current custom DNA market, offering lower prices and faster turnaround times than any existing provider. The consequences of this advance will be two-fold: the general pace of research--both basic and applied--will accelerate; and the cost of research will be reduced. The latter effect has interesting implications for the education and training of the next generation of biologists and bioengineers. If the cost of conducting research is reduced, not only can more scientists be trained, but they can be taught to think differently, where they are restricted only by the scope of their ideas and aren?t limited by an inability to implement them.