Abstract
Dear Colleagues:
Industrial Biotechnology is entering its tenth year as “the journal of biobased innovation to drive the global bioeconomy.” As noted in Glenn's premier editorial, “Industrial Biotechnology journal will take an in-depth look at our ability to apply biological processes and living organisms across a spectrum of industrial and environmental challenges,” this has been a core theme for our journal since its inception. We have and continue to focus on how original research, filtered through an understanding of societal needs, can help drive innovative solutions to some of our greatest sustainability challenges, such as providing enough quality food, clean water, renewable energy sources, and green consumer goods. Our mission is a noble one and is possible because of the rapidly expanding life sciences knowledge base, regional and global market opportunities, evolving social dynamics, nucleation of teams of scientists and entrepreneurs, and a growing global consensus that we must work together to keep our one world a special place that supports the diversity of life.
Over the years, we at IB have sought to connect our readers with some of the shakers and movers in the industrial biotechnology space. A current example of this is the interview with Dr. J. Craig Venter, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer, J. Craig Venter Institute, and Founder and CEO, Synthetic Genomics, Inc. Dr. Venter has worn many hats in his efforts to decode life's DNA software systems. In his IB interview and published excerpts from his Plenary Lecture delivered at the recent BIO Pacific Rim Summit, Dr. Venter captures the excitement associated with our ability to decode DNA software systems to drive scientific discovery and biotechnology innovation. In the interview he underscores the importance of continued research on studying and characterizing unknown genes that are surfacing in the software and the importance of this work for carrying out specific cellular designs. He is also keenly aware that the shifting landscape of markets, policy, and resource availability can create challenges to biotechnology development and deployment. This is reflected in his response to our question on the current bioenergy situation here in the US. Through his many collaborative scientific and business ventures, Dr. Venter understands that the creation of collaborative and productive innovation ecologies is essential for addressing many of the challenges in life sciences and sustainable human development. Many of the themes that Dr. Venter addresses in the interview are themes that we have emphasized in our pages over the years. We will continue to focus on these themes as IB moves forward in its mission of chronicling industrial biotechnology development.
Building on the theme of global market and policy drivers, this issue of IB offers two commentaries to help our readers grasp some bioeconomy trends. In the first commentary, Manfred Kircher, Cluster industrielle Biotechnologie (CLIB2021), Düsseldorf, Germany, explores the cost competitiveness challenges of many biomass feedstocks in a world still dominated by relatively low cost fossil-based carbon sources. Also, he brings to our attention that all biomass is local, and therefore regional markets and needs are important in defining the economic potential of biomass feedstocks. The second commentary, by Jim Philp, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Paris, France, brings us back to the familiar theme of the role that government policy can play in driving biotechnology innovation. The European Union has been actively supporting bioplastics production and deployment through a series of policy initiatives. As with all policy initiatives, it is necessary to re-evaluate policy in light of shifting market dynamics and technology innovation to identify gaps where public policy has failed to meet target economic or environmental goals. It is through the deployment of the life sciences to fulfill societal needs for energy, food, materials, and a cleaner environment that we catalyze industrial biotechnology innovation.
Our original research offerings in this issue of IB represent the diverse ways that the life sciences can be deployed to address the broad opportunities for industrial biotechnology development. For example, the review article by Zuoxing Zheng, PhD, Kraft Foods Group, Inc., reminds us of the importance of food preservation for feeding a hungry global community. Microbial spoilage of biomass feedstocks and food represent a major loss of carbohydrates, proteins, and other key compounds from the bioeconomy sector, and efforts to minimize these loses through biotechnology are important for addressing global hunger and ensuring that adequate feedstocks are available to support non-food biobased industries. The article by Drs. Badal C. Saha and Michael A. Cotta, Bioenergy Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Peoria, IL, focuses on a recurring theme in processing of biomass feedstock to extract sugars and products from lignocellulosic materials. The article reports on successful efforts to integrate alkaline peroxide pretreatment of corn stover followed by enzymatic saccharification to yield a hydrolysate of mixed sugars that are converted to ethanol using a recombinant bacterium. Finally, we have an original research article by Dr. Md. Fakruddin and a team of Bangladeshi scientists on the production of β-D-fructofuranosidase by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This is an important industrial enzyme that is quite extensively used in the food industry and is also used to produce lactic acid and ethanol from cane sugar molasses.
As noted earlier, we are entering our tenth anniversary year for the publication of Industrial Biotechnology. Like many major enterprises there comes a time for reflection and renewal. Thus, as we proceed with our effort to chronicle industrial biotechnology innovation and deployment, we will offer major white papers from some of our scientific and business leaders on exciting new possibilities and directions for industrial biotechnology–similar to the visionary insights provided by Dr. J. Craig Venter of future opportunities, combined with the pragmatic recognition of the challenges that must be overcome.Vision is very important in driving scientific exploration and technological innovation. For Larry, a long-time “Trekkie,” the mission “To explore strange new worlds – To seek out new life and new civilizations” is a theme that has always resonated with him. In many respects IB seeks to chronicle a very special mission here on earth as we imagine new life forms and explore new biological and molecular frontiers.