From reading to writing the genetic code: How synthetic biology is transforming medicine, biotechnology, and our fundamental understanding of life.
For decades, biologists have been extraordinary readers of life's genetic code, but a revolutionary transformation is underway: we are rapidly becoming proficient writers of this same language.
Annual sequencing data generated worldwide 5
"This fundamental shift is opening unprecedented possibilities in medicine, agriculture, industrial biotechnology, and beyond, forming the foundation of the burgeoning field of synthetic biology 5 ."
Foundation laid with phosphoramidite chemistry in the 1980s. Each cycle achieves approximately 99.5% efficiency, restricting synthesis to sequences of 100-200 nucleotides 2 5 7 .
Cost: $0.05-$0.15 per base| Synthesis Method | Max Oligo Length | Throughput | Cost per Base | Key Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Column-Based | 100-200 nt | 96-1536 reactions | $0.05-$0.15 | Organic solvents, error accumulation |
| Microarray | ~150 nt | Up to 500,000 oligos/chip | <$0.08 | Short sequence length, chemical waste |
| Enzymatic | ~750 nt | Growing rapidly | Decreasing | Still commercializing |
Examining automated platforms like the MerMade 192R system that can produce 192 oligonucleotides in a single run 2 .
Target DNA sequence computationally decomposed into overlapping oligonucleotides 100-200 bases long 7 .
Parallel synthesis using phosphoramidite chemistry with Poseidon software automation 2 .
Oligonucleotides Synthesized
Base Pair DNA Fragment
Powering CRISPR genome editing, mRNA vaccine production, and gene therapy vectors 4 .
Designing custom metabolic pathways for pharmaceuticals, biofuels, and specialty chemicals 4 .
Creating novel genetic constructs for projects like the Synthetic Yeast Genome Project (Sc2.0) 2 .
Projected growth from approximately $6 billion in 2025 to nearly $30 billion by 2035
Commercialization of technology capable of producing 750-nucleotide oligonucleotides and building genes up to 7.5 kb routinely 4 .
Full automation of the design-build-test-learn (DBTL) cycle through integrated liquid handling workstations 2 .
Optimizing genetic designs in silico before synthesis, reducing costly trial-and-error experimentation .
Development of synthetic nucleotide pairs like Hachimoji DNA with eight nucleotide letters 6 .
High-throughput DNA synthesis has evolved from a specialized tool to a general-purpose technology that is reshaping biotechnology and medicine. From its beginnings in the 1980s with automated phosphoramidite-based synthesizers to today's emerging enzymatic and microarray platforms, the ability to write DNA has become faster, cheaper, and more accessible 1 2 4 .
Market growth projection (2025-2035)
If stewarded wisely, the ability to design and write DNA precisely and at scale will undoubtedly play a central role in addressing some of humanity's most pressing challenges in the coming decades. The symphony of life now has not just attentive listeners, but increasingly skilled composers.