Boosting the global bioeconomy

Boosting the global bioeconomy

NUS plays key role in international effort to set the technical standards for synthetic biology, which are instrumental in achieving rapid commercialisation of bio-based technologies.

The term 'bioeconomy' is complex yet vital. It generally refers to a departure from industries powered by fossil fuels to those that are based on renewable resources and may also include an emphasis on using living organisms to create new products. This particular aspect of the bioeconomy, in the context of utilising components of living systems such as enzymes and metabolic pathways, is also known as engineering biology or synthetic biology.

But there is currently no internationally agreed-upon definition of the word 'bioeconomy', and even less consensus on the standards used in synthetic biology across different countries and jurisdictions.

Without adequate standardisation and metrics, major issues could arise. For instance, safety might be compromised due a lack of consistent product quality assurances. The adoption of key synthetic biology technologies might also suffer or stall.

However, an international effort involving NUS is set to change that.

Associate Professor Matthew Chang, Director of the NUS Synthetic Biology for Clinical and Technological Innovation (SynCTI), is one of five key members - and the only representative from Asia - on the global Task Force on Engineering Biology Metrics and Technical Standards for the Global Bioeconomy.

The Task Force aims to identify appropriate technical standards and metrics that will enable continued scale-up and enhance performance across the bioeconomy. Jointly authored by Assoc Prof Chang and the other members, the committee's report was launched on 7 May 2024 at the Synbiobeta conference held in California, USA.

Advancing the bioeconomy through standardisation

The report summarises the findings of the global task force and draws on the proceedings of three separate workshops held last year in Washington DC (for the Americas), Brussels (for Europe and Africa), and Singapore (for Asia and Australia).

NUS hosted the regional workshop held in Singapore over three days in August 2023. The conference saw representatives from 13 countries across Asia and Australia. Hailing from academia, industry, and various governments, the attendees discussed the need to harmonise metrics and standards in this evolving field, and also emphasised the roles of regional organisations like ASEAN in galvanising the community for setting engineering biology standards.

"We wanted to build a better understanding of the current state of the bioeconomy globally, to provide context around the needs for standardisation. This meant having regional discussions, where local stakeholders could provide the relevant knowledge and share their own perspectives around what standards are needed, what type of standardisation would work, and what their priorities were," said Professor Paul Freemont, Head of Structural and Synthetic Biology at Imperial College London and Chair of the Task Force.

The report identified 10 critical areas - six technical and four non-technical - where the development of standards and metrics is required to substantially enhance the potential of the bioeconomy. These areas, such as data standards, standards and metrics to support scale-up, and standardised sustainability assessments specific to engineering biology, present vital opportunities for targeted initiatives aimed at improving standardisation practices.

While the findings reveal some consensus on the necessity for standardised approaches, regional disparities in prioritisation were also uncovered, reflecting diverse levels of technological advancement and unique regional challenges in evolving their respective bioeconomies.

Significance for Singapore

Singapore's contribution to the report is evident as an international hub for research and collaboration. "The insights from this report will significantly enhance Singapore's position in synthetic biology, establishing it as a leader in regional standardisation initiatives. By further enhancing its national engineering biology capabilities, Singapore can take the lead in developing and testing innovative metrics, reference materials, and standardised methods and protocols," said Assoc Prof Chang, who is also the Director of the Singapore Consortium for Synthetic Biology (SINERGY)and the Synthetic Biology Translational Research Programme (Syn Bio TRP)at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. He is also the Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Synthetic Biology.

He added, "These advancements will not only drive standardisation efforts within Singapore but also promote enhanced regional collaboration in the bioeconomy. This cooperative approach will foster an environment conducive to scientific innovation and commercial success, aligning with both regional and international standards in engineering biology."

This project was a joint collaboration between NUS, Imperial College London, the Engineering Biology Research Consortium, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

As part of the global Task Force, Assoc Prof Chang was instrumental in the strategic planning, data consolidation and analysis, and critical review processes that shaped the committee's final report. The report, entitled Engineering Biology Metrics and Technical Standards for the Global Bioeconomy, is available here.