Abstract
The world's attention has been drawn to the pace and progress of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) research, as scientists around the world race to better understand the virus and develop therapies and vaccines. While the fruits of this research cannot come soon enough, progress would not be possible were it not for profound advances in biotechnology in the past decade. The progress extends far beyond medical interventions and research tools, it also encompasses advances in agriculture, biological replacements for petroleum chemistry, and a myriad of novel biological products—from spider silk to laboratory grown meats to organic construction materials.1-3 These myriad endeavors and innovations are part of the “bioeconomy,” which is defined as the economic activity that comes from bio-based feedstock (such as agricultural and forestry biomass), products or materials (like biofuels and chemicals), and processes that contribute sustainable solutions to resolving issues in areas such as food, energy, health, and the environment.4,5,6 Strategies for developing and supporting national bioeconomies encompass diverse fields, including energy, agriculture, medicine, manufacturing, industrial chemistry, pharmaceuticals, and defense.
The articles in this special issue focus on the US bioeconomy, examining opportunities for domestic workforce development, exploring steps to accelerate its growth, and introducing commentary on the application of varying fields of life science research and their potential impact on the bioeconomy. Each paper has at its core an appreciation for the power of biology as a tool for advancing technological development and understands the risks and opportunities associated with biotechnology's forthcoming revolution. The authors work across the public, private, and academic sectors, with a diversity of expertise, emphasizing the need for collaboration and communication between fields to strengthen the bioeconomy.
The push for global leadership for a bio-based economy—estimated to be worth over $490 billion globally—is dynamic. 7 Nations around the world have made substantial investments to develop the infrastructure and workforce required to support this growing economic asset, identifying biotechnology as a sector with a large, sustainable growth potential for jobs and innovation. While industrial competition may be a driving force in the speed of innovation, a lack of foresight could lead to a situation where advancements in biological technologies outpace governance structures, introducing new vulnerabilities for the global population.
The United States has taken steps to safeguard and support the national bioeconomy, which is estimated to be worth 2% of the national gross domestic product. 8 In the fall of 2019, the Executive Office of the President hosted a summit on the United States' bioeconomy, through its Office of Science and Technology Policy. 8 The summit concluded that the US biotechnology workforce needed to be bolstered, the regulatory field for biotechnology should be reexamined to address gaps, and critical resources for the bioeconomy, including data and infrastructure, should be safeguarded. Leaders at the summit reported that collaboration between the government, private industry, and academia would be vital for fostering the US bioeconomy. Earlier this year, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine published the US Office of the Director of Intelligence-funded report Safeguarding the Bioeconomy, which assessed the current US bioeconomy, identified how it is vulnerable, and suggested how to protect assets critical to a functioning bioeconomy, including data and infrastructure. 6 In April 2020, the US Department of Defense released a request for information to explore developing a new manufacturing innovation institute dedicated to manufacturing materials using synthetic biology. 9 Together these efforts echoed a common theme, that there is value in biological technologies to the future US economy and a need for immediate action to support future competitiveness. Recommendations to grow the bioeconomy included instituting enhanced educational programs, supporting immigration reform to retain foreign-born scientists trained in the US, creating a clear regulatory structure, increasing funding and incentivizing related products, and taking a holistic approach to calculate the cost of products to government agencies.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has revealed vulnerabilities in both global and domestic economic systems that investments in biotechnology may address. 10 For example, as travel restrictions were implemented, raw materials have not reached manufacturers and manufacturers have struggled to send products where they need to go. However, products made using genetically modified microbial organisms could theoretically be used for distributed manufacturing, where the product is made in the location where needed.
The compilation of articles shared here builds on the work done over the past years and echoes the call for proactive engagement with the bioeconomy. Papers and commentaries each share the belief that biology will have an increased role in the future lives of every person and recognize the value and responsibility of moving forward in ways that aim to maximize potential good and minimize inherent risks.