Commercializing the new frontier in DNA writing: Enzymatic synthesis

Michael J. Kamdar
J. William Efcavitch

DOI:https://doi.org/10.5912/jcb956

Abstract:

This article provides an overview of the emerging technology of enzymatic DNA synthesis, which holds the promise of making the business of writing DNA cost-effective, faster, sustainable, and more accurate compared to the traditional DNA synthesis method of phosphoramidite chemistry. Enzymatic DNA synthesis lends itself to various business models to realize the enormous opportunities across established and emerging industries that can be transformed with the reliable and affordable creation of long, high-quality, sequence specific DNA or, in the case of DNA data storage, the template-independent creation of DNA in nontoxic solutions without the need for post-synthesis processing. This review includes a discussion of potential verticals, such as life sciences – which includes gene editing, synthetic biology, precision medicine, DNA nanotechnology, and RNA vaccine development – as well as DNA data storage. Enzymatic DNA synthesis is being rapidly advanced to a commercial reality, with the first enzymatically synthesized DNA products to enter the market in the next year.