Jose Nuñez
EGADE Business School Tecnologico de Monterrey
MARTIN H BREMER
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Synthetic biology aims to revolutionize the biology area by re-designing and elaboration of new biological components. The speed and cost of DNA synthesis are allowing emerging fields of scientific studies, such as producing advanced biofuels, bio-products and bio-based specialty chemicals.
Scintia facilitates the way of teaching, researching and launching a business into synthetic biology for Mexico and Latin America. They developed lower cost lab equipment and educational kits, user friendly for genetic engineering to have a practical and hands on experience in a lab.
Synthetic biology education is known to have high-cost solutions for all educational institutions. Scintia has worked its way up toward research, design and engineering of affordable self-produced equipment to spread genetic engineering knowledge with all required material for school lab experiments for any classroom.
Currently Mexico and Latin America do not have solutions to bring in synthetic biology education experience for mass-adoption in schools, due to its high costs to access labs, distribution costs, and low availability and interaction with it.
Scintia is a pioneer in learning solutions for synthetic biology on Mexico and Latin America. Through their different services they create a comprehensive learning option, promoting innovation in this field.
Synthetic Biology for all
Ricardo, co-founder and CEO and Minerva Castellanos co-founder and COO at Scintia, are firmly committed to synthetic biology as an opportunity to demonstrate that Latin American talent is capable to outperform global teams. Ricardo mentioned, “When I found out a team from Tecnologico of Monterrey won a Gold medal for synthetic biology competition, that was the moment that changed everything on my career”.
Ricardo had the opportunity to study his master’s degree in Synthetic Biology from the University of Edinburgh, where he had a great experience with labs and access to funds. When he returned to Mexico and while participating in a challenge, he had a hard time trying to raise funds and get the right equipment at accessible costs. This is when Ricardo and Minerva decided there was a market opportunity to develop laboratory equipment and develop educational kits accessible for everyone in Mexico and Latin America. They intend to foster research, learning and entrepreneurship in synthetic biology.Scintia has found a way that facilitates technology access for entrepreneurs that helps them achieve their goals in less time, promoting development on this field in Mexico.
One of the main impacts that Ricardo and Minerva consider is Scintia has created is that students learn and understand in a didactic and experiential way the current problems of biotechnology. To know, understand and solve today’s problems it will help the society to anticipate those in the future.
With its services and efforts, the team demonstrated to its public that synthetic biology can be accessible, it is not impossible to work in this area, but also, they have promoted its various applications and contributions in different fields. Scintia has been able to combine private associations and government resources for the promotion of biotechnology innovation and future development.
Scintia is the first of its kind in Mexico and Latin America providing accessible and innovative solutions for synthetic biology equipment and complementary services. This makes Scintia an important strategic partner for its clients, creating a business opportunity with great potential and in a sustainable way through alliances.
Through innovative solutions, the misconception that biotechnology learning and research is only for institutions with large financial capital can now be changed. By being able to democratize this field of study, educational institutions seeking to adopt synthetic biology in their curricula makes it a potential client through selling equipment & material, training or first education experience program into biotechnology. Such clients go from educational institutions preparing to teach 21st century competencies and adopt STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), as well as entrepreneurs, or students looking to learn from this area. This helps the whole society to be prepared for the future challenges.
Scintia offers a practical choice that makes a true difference in early synthetic biology education. In terms of benefits we can compile the following:
a. Learning experience for the best possible scientific and technological expertise available.
b. Develop laboratory instrumentation manipulation skills.
c. Apply critical and analytical thinking.
d. Encourages curiosity and active participation.
e. Promotes research skills development.
f. Generate solutions to real problems in an environment based on scientific knowledge.
g. Advise government institutions (CIBIOGEM / SEMARNAT) for any impact in environmental issues.
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Scintia facilitates the way of teaching, researching and launching a business into synthetic biology for Mexico and Latin America. They developed lower cost lab equipment and educational kits, user friendly for genetic engineering to have a practical and hands on experience in a lab.
