Condon Device: The Fabrication & Designing the Next Phase in Biolotechnology
By AZAM on March 25, 2008Condon Devices is pioneering the efforts in synthetic biology field and leading a platform for new discovery in the field of biotechnology. The Cambridge, MA based company is in the forefront of technology used to Fabricate genomes using BioFAB platform to easily develop and produce genetic clones for use in Constructive Biology for wide variety of applications. The constructive aspect of the technology gives tools to researchers to produce genetic material such as full-length genes, operons, pathways, and ultimately genomes—quickly, accurately and at low cost. The ability to work with new materials by engineering and design will allow researchers to work on new ideas in the lab and more likely lead to more innovations. Condon Devices’ BioFAB technology may benefit the world in a number of ways such as new therapeutics, agricultural, industrial, and energy production.
Codon is on the forefront of a new field called “synthetic biology”. The company is creating tools by which cells and their genetic material can be more precisely engineered and with variations to create new and novel genetic material for research in synthetic biology field. These tools if made in a cheap and precise fashion will enable researchers to develop and create new biological systems and techniques necessary to advance the field.
“Codon’s charge from the beginning has been to industrialize this space and create something well beyond synthetic biology that we call constructive biology,”
The startup says it has created a stretch of DNA more than 35,000 letters long the longest to date. The company plans to increase the length of genetic material; Codon says that within a year or two it hopes to create DNA fragments that are as much as 100,000 letters long and eventually make 1M letter fragments lengths.
The creation of increasing longer stretches of man-made DNA is allowing researchers to make new strides in understanding how multiple genes work together in system biology. The genes and variations are required in research to understand who the work together in system scale environment with increasing complexity.
The company recently closed 11M in finacing to expand production facility. Previously the company was able to raise B round 20M and Series A 13M for a total of 44M. the investors in Codon Devices include Flagship Ventures; Highland Capital Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Khosla Ventures and Alloy Ventures.
Categories : BiotechTags : Biotech, Codon Devices, Synthetic Biology