August 8, 2013

Startup Looks at Synthetic Biology for Mining Applications

As part of our podcast series with entrepreneurs in the synthetic biology space, we speak with Patrick Nee, co-founder and chief executive officer of Universal Bio Mining. The San Francisco-based company seeks to use synthetic biology to develop applications in both mineral extraction and water remediation.

When we caught up with Nee at the SynBioBeta conference in Silicon Valley last November, he discussed the use of engineered organisms in the mining industry, outlined some of the related regulatory frameworks in the United States and abroad and mentioned some of the groups looking at the ethical issues facing synthetic biology. Nee also talked about the benefits for startups in the field to work with larger, established partners, which can help the smaller firms though the development and regulatory processes.