The global synthetic biology market is marked by intensive R&D. Governments, universities, research institutions, and private firms are all busy coming up with the most cutting-edge technology in the synthetic biology market. The global synthetic biology market will expand at a remarkable CAGR of 32.60% during the forecast period from 2013 to 2019, says Transparency Market Research (TMR). One of the key drivers of the global synthetic biology market is the increasing participation in synthetic biology research.

The global synthetic biology market is at its early development stage and will continue to witness strong growth due to widespread R&D efforts. Some of the application areas of synthetic biology are agriculture, chemicals, healthcare, energy and environment, and biosecurity. Demand for synthetic biology technologies is growing in all these application areas, which will prompt the growth of the overall synthetic biology market. To drive innovation and thrive in the market, players in the global synthetic biology market are focusing on strategic mergers and acquisitions (M&As). Let us look at the key M&As that have taken place in the global synthetic biology market.

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Reverse Merger of Evolva and Arpida

Evolva, a Swiss company, is using a genetically modified yeast to create things that are typically not found in nature. In December 2009, the Swiss firm started trading via a reverse merger with a firm called Arpida. Arpida, a publicly traded company, lost nearly all of its value after its lead drug candidate failed to receive regulatory approval. This merger between Evolva and Arpida will create a new publicly listed company having a technology platform that deploys synthetic biology to create small molecule drugs.

Integrated DNA Technologies to Acquire AITbiotech

Recently, Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), a provider of synthetic nucleic acids for molecular biology applications, will be acquiring the oligonucleotide synthesis business from AITbiotech. IDT’s primary business involves the production of synthetic biology products, synthetic nucleic acids, and functional genomics. AITbiotech is based in Singapore and offers a complete suite of genomics services to healthcare, research, and the biomedical industry in Asia. This acquisition is projected to help IDT expand its consumer base in Asia and make it possible for these consumers to access the firm’s broad range of genomic products.

Caribou and CRISPR Aiming Acquisitions

Top firms such as BASF, DuPont, Bayer CropScience, Syngenta, and Dow Chemical Company, have invested millions of dollars to fuel their R&D for commercialization of GM crops. Furthermore, these companies are expected to invest more in the foreseeable future to build new gene editing tools and provide enhanced non-GMO crops. To make this possible, many of these companies are expected to acquire/merge/partner with notable synthetic biology firms. Two of the companies that are at the forefront for acquisition in the global synthetic biology market are Caribou and Cibus. These companies are producing herbicide-resistant crops along with other innovations.

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Even though the global synthetic biology market will grow at a high pace driven by the high number of M&As, partnerships, and collaborations, it will be suppressed by the ethical issues associated with synthetic biology products.