In early May, U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken visited Antheia, HQ in Menlo Park, California for a tour of our labs and a panel discussion with innovators in the biotechnology industry. Led by Antheia CEO and co-founder Dr. Christina Smolke, the tour and panel highlighted the critical role biomanufacturing technologies play in fortifying U.S. economic and national security.
In today’s blog, we’ll cover the key takeaways from the visit, including how strong public-private partnerships can scale biotechnology solutions to solve some of the biggest challenges we face, including essential medicine shortages.
An illuminating visit
During his tour, Secretary Blinken got an up-close look at how our team at Antheia uses synthetic biology to biomanufacture key starting materials (KSMs) and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for essential medicines, like thebaine, which is a KSM for the overdose rescue drug Narcan. He observed Antheia’s pilot-scale production process from start to finish, including biology, fermentation, and downstream processing, and how the purified KSM is converted into an API and ultimately formulated into final drug products, like Narcan and other essential medicines.
Following the tour, Dr. Smolke moderated a panel discussion with Secretary Blinken and industry and policy experts from Atomic Al, Ginkgo Bioworks, MycoWorks, Stanford University, and Twist Bioscience. The discussion focused on how biotechnology is transforming both the U.S. and global economy and how the U.S. can maintain its leadership in this critical technology. Panelists emphasized the importance of biotechnology in solving major global problems, including ending drug shortages, creating circular, sustainable economies, and reducing food insecurity. The discussion also touched on the potential for artificial intelligence tools to accelerate this work across industries.
Over the last several years, the Biden Administration has worked to ensure that the U.S. remains on the cutting edge of biotechnology innovation. In 2022, the President signed an Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy, articulating a whole-of-government strategy for maintaining U.S. technological competitiveness. Earlier this year, the administration also launched the National Bioeconomy Board to coordinate activities and priorities across various agencies and the private sector to advance these goals. With continued support from the U.S. government and collaboration with other countries prioritizing biotechnology, this industry can scale innovative solutions and fully realize this technology’s promise.
A lasting impression
In Secretary Blinken’s keynote address to more than 40,000 attendees later that day at the annual RSA Conference, he called attention to the urgency of onshoring pharmaceutical supply chains and ensuring widespread access to critical medicines. He spotlighted how synthetic biology makes it possible to manufacture thebaine in a matter of days instead of years.
Right now, in the United States, the leading killer of Americans between the ages of 18 and 49 is not guns, it’s not car accidents, it’s not heart attacks, it’s not cancer – it’s fentanyl, the synthetic opioid. Well, this antidote, Narcan, can be turned out by the ton in a matter of 96 hours, thanks to synthetic biology. Using traditional methods, it would take a full two years of farming 10 square miles to come up with that same amount.
– U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken
Stemming from his discussions at Antheia, Secretary Blinken called out the potential for biotechnology to unlock innovation across industries and advocated for its use to yield global good and good for the American people.
Accelerating synbio’s impact
The U.S. government’s ongoing commitment to the biotechnology industry is an encouraging reinforcement of our mission to transform pharmaceutical supply chains with synthetic biology and biomanufacturing. Coupled with our brilliant team and the support of leading investors, manufacturing partners, and customers, we are scaling production of our biosynthetic KSMs and APIs for essential medicines, making drug shortages a problem of the past. We thank the State Department for the opportunity to share more about the problem we’re solving and we look forward to working together to build more resilient pharmaceutical supply chains.
