Craig Venter Describes 2014 Goals for Digitizing Life & Designing the Most Basic Living Cell

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - Jan. 24, 2014 - PRLog -- "Life is a DNA software system" says J. Craig Venter, PhD, and biology can be digitized, the information sent via the Internet, and viruses and other life forms recreated using the emerging tools of synthetic biology. Dr. Venter describes his vision for applying biological teleportation to send digitized biological information around the world and from Mars to Earth in an interview in Industrial Biotechnology, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the Industrial Biotechnology website (http://www.liebertpub.com/ind).

Dr. Venter, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of the J. Craig Venter Institute, and CEO of Synthetic Genomics, Inc. (La Jolla, CA), delivered the Plenary Lecture at the 2013 BIO Pacific Rim Summit, December 10th, in San Diego, CA, in which he described the recent successful application of digital biology and synthetic genomics technology for the rapid development of a vaccine against a meningitis type B virus that has caused outbreaks this year.

In "IB Interview: A Conversation with J. Craig Venter, PhD," (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/ind.2013.1616) Dr. Venter discusses the work leading up to his group's creation of the first synthetic genome and new life form, the role that synthetic biology will have in sustainable human development, his current interest and activities in space exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life, and his views on bioenergy, future technology development, and policy and funding needs to support R&D in industrial biotechnology. Following the interview are excerpts of Dr. Venter's Plenary Lecture.

"Synthetic biology is not just an evolutionary step in industrial biotechnology, it is a quantum leap, and there is no better person than Craig Venter to help us look over the horizon and anticipate the future path and benefits of that continuing evolution," says Brent Erickson, Consulting Editor of Industrial Biotechnology and Executive Vice President, Industrial & Environmental Section, Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), Washington, DC. "The biotech tools Dr. Venter and his industry colleagues are developing enable us to tackle problems that humankind has found intractable for centuries. That should inspire all of us in the industry."

About the Journal
Industrial Biotechnology (http://www.liebertpub.com/ind), led by Co-Editors-in-Chief Larry Walker, PhD, Professor, Biological & Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, and Glenn Nedwin, PhD, MoT, CEO and President, Taxon Biosciences, Tiburon, CA, is an authoritative journal focused on biobased industrial and environmental products and processes, published bimonthly in print and online. The Journal reports on the science, business, and policy developments of the emerging global bioeconomy, including biobased production of energy and fuels, chemicals, materials, and consumer goods. The articles published include critically reviewed original research in all related sciences (biology, biochemistry, chemical and process engineering, agriculture), in addition to expert commentary on current policy, funding, markets, business, legal issues, and science trends. Industrial Biotechnology offers the premier forum bridging basic research and R&D with later-stage commercialization for sustainable biobased industrial and environmental applications.

About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Environmental Engineering Science and Sustainability: The Journal of Record. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website (http://www.liebertpub.com).

Contact: Vicki Cohn, (914) 740-2156, vcohn@liebertpub.com