What are the upstream, midstream, and downstream of the synthetic biology industry chain?
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- Issue Time
- Apr 8,2025
Summary
In the past five years, the global synthetic biology industry has experienced significant expansion, with the market size growing from $5.3 billion in 2018 to $17 billion in 2023, with an astonishing annual growth rate of 27%.
By 2028, this number is expected to approach $50 billion.
The rapid development of the synthetic biology industry benefits from its complete industrial chain, including technology research and development, product production, and market application.
Upstream of the industrial chain: Enabling technology is of paramount importance. The core of the upstream industrial chain lies in the development of enabling technology, including gene sequencing, gene editing, gene synthesis, high-throughput screening, and other technologies.
These technologies are the foundation of synthetic biology, enabling scientists to precisely design and construct new biological components and systems.
For example, the widespread use of CRISPR-Cas9 technology has made gene editing more precise and efficient than ever before. In addition, protein design technology and bioinformatics are also important components of this process, helping scientists predict and screen proteins with specific functions, as well as analyze and interpret complex biological data.
Four major tracks will lead the future of synthetic biology
Midstream of the industrial chain: Focusing on the design and transformation of biological systems. Midstream of the industrial chain focuses on the design and transformation of biological systems and organisms.
Enterprises in this stage utilize upstream technology platforms to conduct research, development, and application of synthetic biology. They achieve rational regulation and optimization of life processes by designing and constructing new biological components, systems, and machines.
Midstream enterprises typically provide universal platforms such as Codexis, Cysbio, and Ginkgo Bioworks, which can be used for various synthetic biology applications.
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Downstream of the industrial chain: Focusing on application development and product landing. The downstream industrial chain involves the specific application and product landing of synthetic biology technology.
These applications cover a wide range of fields, including pharmaceuticals, chemicals, agriculture, food, consumer goods, environmental protection, and more. Downstream enterprises are responsible for producing and selling biological products developed by midstream enterprises, promoting them to the market, and meeting consumer demands.
For example, in the field of medicine, synthetic biology can be used to produce new drugs and vaccines; In the field of agriculture, it can be used to improve crop varieties and increase crop yields; In the field of chemical engineering, it can be used to produce biobased materials and chemicals.
