Vim li cas FBI Sourcing Enzymes Los Ntawm Patagonia Rau Kev Tshawb Nrhiav Tshuaj?

Kura Biotech yog tus tsim cov enzyme loj tshaj plaws uas koj tsis tau hnov ​​​​txog. Lawv tau bootstrapped lawv txoj kev mus rau protein engineering prowess tag nrho los ntawm tob hauv plawv ntawm South America. Lawv zaj dab neeg qhia tau hais tias yuav ua li cas yog tias peb rhuav tshem lub rooj sib tham thiab tsim cov tuam txhab kev tshawb fawb uas tau tsav lub hom phiaj sab nraud ntawm cov neeg tseem ceeb ntawm kev tsim kho tshiab.

Thaum muaj kev sib kis thoob ntiaj teb, kev ua haujlwm nyob deb tau nyob hauv vogue. Qhov ntawd tsis yog li ntawd kaum xyoo dhau los. Thiab txawm tias niaj hnub no, nrog ntau thiab ntau lub tuam txhab shirking cib thiab mortar, biologists maj mam hloov.

Kev lees paub, kev ua haujlwm hauv chav kuaj tsis tuaj yeem tshwm sim hauv chav nyob. Cov kws tshawb fawb xav tau qhov chaw lub cev ua haujlwm. Tab sis lawv tsis tas yuav muaj lub xub pwg nyom nrog txhua tus uas lawv ua haujlwm nrog. Kura Biotech paub qhov no thaum ntxov.

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Manuel Rozas Tus Thawj Saib Xyuas Kev Tshawb Fawb thiab tus tsim ntawm Kura Biotech tau hais tias "Txawm tias ua ntej muaj kev sib kis, peb tau ntseeg tias koj tuaj yeem txuas nrog lub ntiaj teb yam tsis muaj qhov raug nyob hauv nruab nrab," said Manuel Rozas Tus Thawj Saib Xyuas Kev Tshawb Fawb thiab tus tsim ntawm Kura Biotech thaum kuv tham nrog nws ua ntej ntawm SynBioBeta lub rooj sib tham. Thaum feem ntau yuav tau hais kom nws mus rau hauv tsev hais plaub cov peev nyiaj lag luam hauv Bay Area thiab Boston, Rozas tig mus rau ib lub nroog ntawm 40,000 tus neeg hauv South Chile.

Ntxiv rau qhov ua nws lub tsev, Chile muaj ib yam dab tsi los muab uas nws tau coj tus kws tshawb fawb Chilean los lees paub - lub mollusk nrog lub siab xav txog kev siv yeeb tshuaj.

Liab abalone - loj, xeb-hewed mollusks - dot lub ntug dej hiav txwv ntawm Puerto Varas thiab yog ib tug muaj zog qhov chaw ntawm ib tug enzyme hu ua Beta Glucoronidase. Beta Glucoronidase, uas peb yuav hu ua BG luv luv, yog siv los kuaj cov tshuaj opioids thiab lwm yam tshuaj hauv cov zis. BG feem ntau yog los ntawm nyuj, tab sis bovine BG tsis zoo. Hmoov tsis zoo, txawm tias abalone BG tsis ua haujlwm zoo. Qhov ntawd yog qhov uas Kura Biotech tuaj.

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Thaum cov tshuaj ua tiav los ntawm daim siab, me ntsis tag yog ntxiv kom cov tshuaj muaj dej ntau dua, yog li nws tuaj yeem tawm hauv lub cev hauv cov zis. Cov cim npe ntawd tau raug tshem tawm los ntawm BG, kom pom cov tshuaj thawj zaug. Tag nrho cov txheej txheem nyob rau hauv ib txwm forensic workflows yuav siv sij hawm ntawm plaub thiab kaum rau teev.

Rozas thiab pab pawg tau nrhiav txoj hauv kev zoo dua. Siv peb txoj hauv kev, lawv tau tsim cov qauv ntawm BG enzyme uas tuaj yeem ua cov tshuaj sai dua, thiab ua tau zoo dua. Lawv txoj hauv kev suav nrog qhov hu ua "kev tsim qauv tsim nyog," "kev tsim qauv ib nrab," thiab "txoj kev hloov pauv tau qhia."

Hauv kev tsim qauv tsim nyog, tus neeg hloov pauv tau ua rau qee qhov ntawm cov enzyme uas cov kws tshawb fawb xav tias yuav cuam tshuam nws ua haujlwm zoo npaum li cas. Hauv kev tsim qauv ib nrab, ntau qhov chaw ntawm cov enzyme yog tsom rau ib zaug. Nyob rau hauv kev coj ua evolution, enzyme yog randomly mutated, thiab mutants nrog kev ua tau zoo dua raug xaiv thiab ntxiv evolved.

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Kura Biotech cov txiaj ntsig ntawm BG enzymes tuaj yeem ua tiav yuav luag hauv feeb yam uas tau siv sij hawm dhau los. Tias yog vim li cas Kura tam sim no yog tus xa khoom loj tshaj plaws ntawm BG enzymes tsis yog hauv Chile nkaus xwb, tab sis thoob plaws ntiaj teb. Txawm tias FBI siv Kura Biotech enzymes, thiab nrog rau cov teebmeem opioid tam sim no, qhov kev thov tau loj tuaj.

Tab sis tus kab mob opioid tsis yog tib qho teeb meem kev noj qab haus huv pej xeem cuam tshuam los ntawm Kura Biotech. Thaum tus kab mob kis thoob qhov txhia chaw xa cov kws tshawb fawb hauv tsev xyoo 2020, Rozas thiab pab pawg tau npaj ib txoj kev npaj rov qab mus ua haujlwm. Lawv tau tsim cov khoom siv kuaj pom COVID raws li lub tshuab hu ua RT-LAMP, uas yog hom PCR uas ua haujlwm sai dua thiab pheej yig dua.

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Hauv 4 lub hlis, lawv tau tsim qhov kev sim uas tau siv rau 4 lab tus tib neeg. Qhov ntawd yog kwv yees li 20% ntawm cov pejxeem ntawm tag nrho lub tebchaws Chile.

Rozas hais tias "Peb muaj peev xwm ua tau sai heev rau qee yam nrog rau theem ntawm kev sib tw, vim yog hom kab lis kev cai, hom neeg peb muaj nyob ntawm no," Rozas hais.

Nws yog kab lis kev cai uas nyiam Shervin Kamkar, VP ntawm Kev Txhim Kho Kev Lag Luam ntawm Kura Biotech. "Lawv lub peev xwm los pivot sai heev thiab muab lawv pab pawg engineering ua haujlwm [ntawm kev siv zog ntawm tes] yog qhov zoo," nws sau tseg. Kamkar muaj ib tug pedigree uas muaj xws li giants zoo li Illumina
ILMN
thiab Roche. Thiab nws tsis nyob hauv Patagonia.

Tus kheej piav qhia txog genomics geek, Kamkar tuaj rau hauv lub nkoj los coj Kura qhov kev nthuav dav hauv txoj kev tshiab. Genomics - peb lub peev xwm nkag siab thiab siv lub zog ntawm DNA - yog tus yuam sij rau cov tshuaj precision. Thiab cov enzymes uas tsim, hloov kho, thiab nyeem DNA yog qhov tseem ceeb rau genomics.

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"Kura tau tsim lub platform muaj zog heev los hloov kho thiab txhim kho cov enzymes," Kamkar piav qhia. Txhua lub enzyme yog qhov tshwj xeeb thiab xav tau ib qho kev ntsuam xyuas tshwj xeeb los kawm thiab txhim kho nws. Kura ua tau zoo ntawm kev siv lub ntsej muag zoo li sniper rau ib qho enzyme txhawm rau txhim kho kev soj ntsuam sai uas ua rau lawv sim ntau yam ntawm cov yam ntxwv sib txawv sai thiab pheej yig. Enzymes kuj yog patentable. Qhov ntawd txhais tau hais tias kev nrhiav cov enzymes uas muab cov tuam txhab me me muaj kev ywj pheej ua haujlwm yam tsis tas yuav them tus nqi ntawv tso cai yuav siv qee qhov kev muaj tswv yim.

"Kura yog nquag txaus thiab tshaib plab txaus los ua cov khoom tsim kho raws li peb yuav tsum ua." Thiab qhov ntawd, raws li Kamkar, yog los ntawm kev siv cov tswv yim los ntawm kev ua lag luam txog dab tsi enzymes xav tau. Tam sim no, kev ua lag luam tau tsom mus rau DNA tsim enzyme hu ua TDT.

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TDT yog ib tug super-builder nyob rau hauv uas nws tsis yuav tsum tau ib tug uas twb muaj lawm strand ntawm DNA los luam tab sis muaj peev xwm ntxiv tsev blocks rau tej strand. Dab tsi ua rau qhov txaus nyiam, yog tias nws tuaj yeem siv los tsim DNA tshiab.

Tab sis zoo li BG, cov pob txha siv rau feem ntau TDT feem ntau yog los ntawm qhov chaw bovine. Kura siv cov pob txha tshiab TDT uas tsis yog los ntawm bovine lossis nas sib lawv liag, thiab tsis muaj kev tiv thaiv los ntawm yav dhau los patents. Lawv cov enzyme tshwj xeeb tshaj yog tsim los ntawm kev ntxiv cov tsev tshiab rau DNA, uas tuaj yeem tso cai rau nws ua haujlwm tshiab. Cov enzyme no yuav yog lub tshuab tso tawm uas tuaj yeem hloov kho thiab kho kom haum rau cov khoom lag luam xav tau.

Ntawm SynBioBeta lub rooj sib tham tom ntej hauv Oakland, Kura tab tom nthuav tawm lawv Excel TDT Kev Koom Tes Sib Koom Tes los nrhiav cov tuam txhab koom nrog nrog cov ntawv thov TDT zoo li no. Ntawm lawv cov dej num ntawm SynBioBeta, Kamkar tau hais tias, "Yog tias koj tuaj ntsib peb ntawm peb lub rooj muag khoom, peb yuav cog tsob ntoo rau koj lub koob meej hauv qhov kub hnyiab ntawm California."

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Heev ntawm cov khoom lag luam rau daim ntawv pov thawj B Corp uas muab 2% ntawm lawv qhov muag rau lub hauv paus los pab nyiaj rau cov neeg ua haujlwm coj ua haujlwm rau kev ruaj khov thiab kev txhawb nqa ntawm cov neeg tsis muaj zog.

Nws yuav tsum tau hais tias kev ua haujlwm tsis tuaj yeem ua haujlwm feem ntau tshwm sim hauv chav nyob. Tab sis qhov ntawd yog qhov uas Rozas tau txais nws pib. Nws pib nws lub tuam txhab ua tiav thawj zaug tawm ntawm chav kuaj hauv nws lub tsev, thiab tom qab ntawd nws tau bootstrapped Kura Biotech yam tsis tau txais nyiaj los ntawm kev lag luam peev. Ntxiv nrog rau kev ua nthwv dej hauv kev tshawb nrhiav tshuaj txhaum cai thiab kev kuaj mob COVID, lawv tau siv qhov lawv tau kawm hauv COVID assay kev txhim kho los tsim cov kev sim rau kev kuaj khoom noj khoom haus. Tam sim no lawv tau txais lawv qhov kev pom ntawm genomics.

Kura txhais tias "pob zeb." Nws tuaj yeem hais tias lawv tau tsim lub hauv paus rau lub tuam txhab biotech tshiab; ib qho uas xeeb hauv qhov chaw uas tib neeg xav nyob; ib qho uas nyiam hom kws tshawb fawb uas tuaj yeem xav sab nraum lub thawv thiab pivot sai; ib qho uas cuam tshuam cov zej zog dhau Boston thiab The Bay.

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Ib lub tuam txhab lag luam uas xam phaj Kura cov neeg hu lawv "cov neeg tawm tsam nrog qhov laj thawj".

“Peb tsis yog lwm lub tuam txhab biotech xwb. Peb ua dab tsi, peb ua li cas, thiab qhov twg peb ua nws txawv, "Rozas hais.

Qhov ntau yog qhov tseeb. Thiab yog tias taug kev tawm ntawm txoj kev pov thawj rau biotech yog kev tawm tsam, nws yog ib qho tseem ceeb - kev ntxeev siab uas ntau ntawm cov neeg ua lag luam zoo hauv kev tshawb fawb yuav tsum xav txog.

Ua tsaug rau Jenna Gallegos rau kev tshawb fawb ntxiv thiab qhia txog kab lus no. Kuv yog tus tsim ntawm SynBioBeta, thiab qee lub tuam txhab uas kuv sau txog, suav nrog Kura Biotech, yog tus txhawb nqa ntawm Rooj sablaj SynBioBeta. Yog xav paub ntxiv, koj tuaj yeem sau npe rau kuv tsab ntawv xov xwm txhua lub lim tiam thiab raws kuv qab Twitter thiab LinkedIn.