Future trends in synthetic biology in Asia

Abstract Synthetic biology research and technology translation has garnered increasing interest from the governments and private investors in Asia, where the technology has great potential in driving a sustainable bio‐based economy. This Perspective reviews the latest developments in the key enabling technologies of synthetic biology and its application in bio‐manufacturing, medicine, food and agriculture in Asia. Asia‐centric strengths in synthetic biology to grow the bio‐based economy, such as advances in genome editing and the presence of biofoundries combined with the availability of natural resources and vast markets, are also highlighted. The potential barriers to the sustainable development of the field, including inadequate infrastructure and policies, with suggestions to overcome these by building public‐private partnerships, more effective multi‐lateral collaborations and well‐developed governance framework, are presented. Finally, the roles of technology, education and regulation in mitigating potential biosecurity risks are examined. Through these discussions, stakeholders from different groups, including academia, industry and government, are expectantly better positioned to contribute towards the establishment of innovation and bio‐economy hubs in Asia.

biology and the broader bio-based economy, at least 50 governments have put forward long-term strategies or groups of policies to invest resources and build talent pools. 4 For instance, the research roadmap by the Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) delineates a comprehensive set of technical themes and application sectors as a guide for funding agencies and researchers. 5 The UK has also established a bioeconomy strategy to build a collaborative research network, an expert workforce and a supportive business environment to catalyse biotechnology translation. 1,6,7 Although significant research, entrepreneurship, and investment activities in synthetic biology have been highly concentrated in the US and the UK, 7 there is also growing interest and determination in developing the bio-based economy in Asia, as witnessed by the increasing investment in research and development [8][9][10] and policy support at the national level. [11][12][13] Workshops have been recently convened in Singapore by stakeholders from academia, industry, and government in Asia, and by the Asian Synthetic Biology Association (ASBA) to discuss the status of synthetic biology research -vis-à-vis advancement and bottlenecks -and potential risks and challenges to regulatory bodies. Through the workshops, representatives from different groups achieved better understanding of the technology and consensus regarding multilateral collaborations to effectively advance synthetic biology research and technology translation in Asia.
In this Perspective, we recount the main topics discussed during the workshops and give a review of the latest developments in synthetic biology research and applications, with highlights of noteworthy work from Asia (particularly East, South and Southeast Asia) and discussions on collaboration and regulation. First, the current state-of-the-art in synthetic biology research and technology translation is reviewed from the perspectives of enabling technologies, and contextualized within three broad application sectors, respectively. Following that, a summary of the discussions on effective collaborations and regulations to mitigate biosecurity risks is presented. Some of the quotes and recommendations from the workshops are cited in Box 1. Collectively, the insights and recommendations from the workshop participants may facilitate a sustained development of synthetic biology research and applications in Asia.

| SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY-DEFINITION AND STAKEHOLDERS
Synthetic biology is the application of engineering principles, such as standardization, decoupling, and abstraction, to biology in order to develop biological systems with novel functionalities. 14 It is a hybrid of both engineering and biological disciplines wherein "rewiring" of the naturally occurring biological circuitry, be it a gene or protein, is performed to achieve the logical form of cellular control for desired applications. The constituents of synthetic biology are widespread (some of them are summarized in Table 1) and there is considerable overlap with other fields, such as molecular biology and genetic engineering. The scope of synthetic biology is ever-broadening due to the rapid progress in its enabling technologies, including DNA reading and writing, high-throughput automation and data science. As such, the products of the field have evolved from simple genetic logic circuits to miniaturized genomes, expanded genetic code, reprogrammed metabolic pathways and autonomous multi-layer circuitry across multiple species of microbes.
Due to the inherent multidisciplinary and application-oriented nature of synthetic biology, cooperation and mutual understanding of the various aspects of the field between various stakeholders is required to further progress and realize the full potential of the field. These stakeholders include research scientists and engineers who conceptualize, construct, and evaluate engineered biological systems. Among the stakeholders, biotechnology entrepreneurs and industry leaders can enable the translation of these engineered systems, resulting in the emergence of disruptive new businesses. Finally, policymakers can develop a governance framework for responsible research and risk mitigation to steer the development of synthetic biology to meet societal goals.

| Honing the tools and mining for more resources in Asia
Enabling technologies are instrumental in making synthetic biology research possible. These broadly include DNA reading, writing and editing technologies, biomolecular and host engineering technologies, Box 1 Quotes from the workshops that underscore the main themes of the Perspective. The quotes are not attributed as the workshops were held under Chatham House rules to promote free and open discussions 1. On the design-build-test-learn (DBTL) cycle of synthetic biology: "In the near future, workflow for a biological engineer will no longer be limited by the pace of fabrication but instead by their ability to analyze circuit behavior and incorporate the data into the next design cycle." 2. On next-generation biomanufacturing driven by synthetic biology: "Leverage synthetic biology not to replace existing systems, but to integrate, augment, advance and integrate into existing systems … and to make it better." 3. On future medicine driven by synthetic biology: "Therapeutic products used to be focused on individual moleculesnow we are looking at whole organisms for clinical use." 4. On the importance of multi-stakeholder engagement in driving innovation in synthetic biology: "Decision makers need to be informed of the technologies to make the right policies." 5. On the importance of dialogue on biosecurity at the global level: "Global collaboration requires global harmonization of understanding… and regulation." and data science. The continued development of these enabling technologies is imperative for the advancement of synthetic biology. Consequently, a number of Asian countries have recently established state-sponsored research programs, national institutes and academiaindustry collaborations to drive technological innovations for the advancement of synthetic biology. 15 Here we review some of the most important developments in enabling technologies of synthetic biology in Asia.

| DNA reading, writing and editing
A significant reduction in the cost of DNA reading and writing in the last few decades has been the most powerful driving force of synthetic biology development. Since the completion of the Human Genome Project, DNA sequencing and synthesis technologies have advanced rapidly with the per-base cost of DNA sequencing reducing by four orders of magnitude, 16 while the cost of sequencing and synthesizing a human genome has come down to US$1000 and US $6000, respectively. 17 In Asia, there has been an increase in the penetration of markets by leading DNA synthesis and sequencing businesses, underscoring the growing demand for synthetic biology-enabling tools in the region.
Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), a major player in custom DNA synthesis, opened a manufacturing facility in Singapore in 2013 to provide expedited delivery of its synthetic biology products to the Asian-Pacific markets. 18 It is one of the only two manufacturing facilities of IDT outside North America. In September 2020, IDT announced the establishment of a business entity in China to better support the region. 19 Twist Biosciences, a US-based rapidly growing provider of synthetic DNA and next-generation sequencing (NGS) services, announced strategic partnerships with local distributors in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and India in 2018 to better serve the synthetic biology communities in these geographies. 20 Thermo Fisher expanded its range of genome editing and DNA synthesis products available in China in 2018 resulting in the country becoming the biggest non-US market for Thermo Fisher. 21 Among the regionally grown companies, perhaps one of the largest in DNA sequencing is Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) based in China. The company, funded by the Chinese Development Bank and powered by its proprietary NGS service, sequenced 1% of the human genome for the International Human Genome Project, co-sponsored the 1000 genomes project and developed a catalogue of more than 1000 genomes of the human gut bacteria, 22,23 findings from which will empower the synthetic biology community to embark on ambitious projects. In 2017, BGI announced the creation of an institute of synthetic biology which will focus on DNA storage, bio-manufacturing of natural materials, and medical genome editing. 24 The best manifestation of the advances in DNA technologies and the growth of industries in this sector is the synthetic yeast genome (Sc2.0) project, 25,26 and by further extension, the Human Genome Project -Write. 27 In Sc2.0, among the 16 yeast chromosomes currently being synthetically reconstructed, 7 of them involved Asian universities and companies. Three of the chromosomes have been successfully reconstructed in China, and one of the chromosomes nearing completion in Singapore. BGI is involved in the construction of three of these chromosomes, either alone or in partnership with other universities. 25 To achieve de novo genome assembly of higher complexities, further advancement in DNA reading, writing, and editing is required. 17,27 To this end, multiple emerging technologies and techniques are being developed, such as single-molecule sequencing platforms (eg, Pacific Biosciences and Oxford Nanopore) 16 38 China is now close behind the US in the number of recent CRISPR-Cas patents, followed by Japan and South Korea. 39 These countries are actively exploring the use of CRISPR-Cas for medical and agricultural applications, with China leading the pack in the latter.
With the continuous evolution of DNA technologies in reading, writing, and editing, we will be better equipped to design, modify and build genomes of any organisms of interest. In addition to genome editing and synthesis, the latest DNA technologies will also fuel the burgeoning field of DNA data storage, which has the advantage of superior data density and durability. 30 [42][43][44][45][46] and significant effort has been put in, which has improved the predictability of the engineering process. For instance, genetic elements and system insulators were designed to reduce the context dependency of gene expression. [47][48][49][50] There are also data and modeldriven design tools 51 to predict design outcomes from individual elements 52,53 to whole systems. 54,55 However, despite progress in design tools, the current status of synthetic biology applications is still largely a trial-and-error process involving "brute force" screening with multiple iterations of the design-build-test-learn (DBTL) cycle, a central concept in traditional engineering that is now applied to synthetic biology. The biofoundries, such as the London and Singapore biofoundries, provide cost-effective access to high-cost equipment and small-scale prototype evaluation to other academic laboratories and companies. 57 Establishment of public biofoundries requires substantial public investment, time, and trained personnel and thus, they are typically found in nations, particularly those in Asia, with a national synthetic biology program and a well-defined bioeconomy roadmap.
Biofoundries can significantly accelerate the engineering of biological systems by providing higher reproducibility and throughput and ease of sharing of standardized protocols. As other nations, such as India, formulate their bioeconomy strategies, 58 biofoundries have the potential to be at the core of a nation's synthetic biology capabilities.
The vital role that biofoundries play in synthetic biology is evident from some of the success stories from the existing biofoundries. For instance, in the eminent "10 molecules in 90 days" pressure test taken on by the Foundry at the Broad Institute, 59 six of the challenged molecules or their close relatives were successfully produced within the given time constraint. In another study, the biofoundry at the University of Manchester produced 17 potential material monomers in 85 days. 60 The London Biofoundry contributed to the rapid development and validation of automated SARS-CoV-2 clinical diagnostics 61 .
Apart from a demonstration of capabilities, such drills also identified key bottlenecks in further accelerating the engineering process. These include gaps in computer-aided design tools, time needed for DNA synthesis, and complicated analytical methods for product characterization and measurement. 59 While academic research continues to improve the efficiency and reliability of the engineering methods and platforms, there are already a few commercial enterprises with business models centered upon developing customized enzymes or microbial hosts, such as the US-based Ginkgo Bioworks and Zymergen. Such platform companies not only pioneered the technology translation, but also contributed towards advancing process automation, data curation, and production scaleup. 62 With strong in-house capabilities of discovery, engineering and production, they will be the powerhouses in driving synthetic biology applications in a variety of sectors (to be discussed in later sections).

| Data science and machine learning
While the "build" step is empowered by advances in DNA technologies and automated liquid handling, the potential in speeding up the remaining three steps -design, test, and learn -lies in data science and machine learning algorithms. Driven by increasingly efficient and accessible sequencing capabilities, we are generating an explosive amount of data, in the form of genomic/metagenomic and transcriptomic information. When such genetic information is coupled with additional layers of profiling, such as metabolomics and proteomics, they offer powerful tools to understand the intricacy of biological systems, to discover novel enzymes, pathways, intercellular interactions, and ultimately aid in engineering design. 63 For example, by mining the genome and profiling the transcriptome and metabolome of the UVresistant animal tardigrades, researchers in Japan were able to identify unique proteins that confer DNA protection against UV radiation. 64 A Chinese group applied comparative genomic and transcriptomic analyses to the resurrection efforts of the plant Selaginella tamariscina and revealed genetic mechanisms of drought tolerance in plants. 65 Similar multi-omics approaches also led to the discovery of novel biosynthetic pathways from microbes isolated from Singapore's native environment, 66,67 as well as silent secondary metabolites in Streptomyces species. 68 Such novel discoveries not only add to our understanding of the biological systems, but also enrich the available molecular tools for synthetic biology research and applications.
With more and more systemic biological data becoming available, the methods for extracting valuable information and enlightening biological designs from such datasets become the next technological challenge; at the same time, this has also created many opportunities for advances in machine learning. 69,70 For example, machine learning algorithms have been developed to predict promoter strength 71 and natural product structures 72,73 from genome sequences, to predict function from molecular structure information, 74 to aid the directed evolution of proteins, 75,76 to predict base editing outcomes, 77 to accelerate metabolic pathway design and optimization, [78][79][80] and to streamline analytical chemistry data processing during the test step of strain engineering. 81,82 These are just a few examples where machine learning has significantly improved the efficiency of otherwise tedious, labor-intensive, or highly unpredictable procedures in engineering biology. Furthermore, combining machine learning with mechanistic systems modelling could enable us to realize the full potential of predictive biology. 83 It is reasonable to expect increasingly valuable applications of machine learning algorithms in advancing the design, test and learning efficiencies.
In order to fully realize the value of the rich biological data source and unleash the power of machine learning, it is necessary to standardize the process and control the quality of data acquisition, database curation, as well as to establish protocols for proper sharing (eg, an extension of the Nagoya protocol to focus on data information sharing 84 ). Essentially, new data infrastructure is required to gather biological data from disparate sources, and standardize, curate, and deploy the data for enhanced innovation. This objective has been incorporated into the synthetic biology strategies set out by the US (in EBRC 2019) and the European Union (in ERASynBio 2014).
An excellent example of this is the Elixir project 85

| Unleashing the potential for applications in Asia
Among the broad application sectors, we centered our discussions around three major themes most relevant to Asia: (a) next-generation biomanufacturing, (b) future medicine, and (c) food, agriculture and environmental applications. A summary of the advances made in these application sectors is provided in Box 2.

| Next-generation biomanufacturing
Synthetic biology is driving a manufacturing revolution that explores alternative feedstocks and production processes, and further extends towards the development of products of better performance. In the 2018 BIO industry report, it was estimated that the global economic value of bio-based production, including renewable chemicals and polymers, biofuels, enzymes and materials, reached US$355 billion. 89 Among this immense volume of production activities, the next-generation biomanufacturing driven by synthetic biology has brought in new advantages -the improved efficiency and economic benefits, the potential to produce chemicals and materials of novel properties, and the sustainable "circular" model of production.
The preeminent driving force is the economic benefits of biomanufacturing of natural products and intermediates of high commercial value, such as fragrance, nutrients, and medicine. 90  Next-generation biomanufacturing could also accelerate the transformation from the current "linear" economy into a more sustainable "circular" system. In pursuit of a paradigm shift from the petrochemical-reliant industry, synthetic biology researchers and entrepreneurs are exploring alternative renewable feedstocks, as well as producing products that are more environmentally friendly. In Taiwan, researchers developed CO 2 -based photosynthetic pathways to produce butyrate with the cyanobacteria Synechococcus elongatus. 95 Similarly, other metabolic engineering demonstrations sought to improve the production efficiency of cyanobacteria for a myriad of high-value chemicals. 96 Advances in genetic engineering of microalgae also opened new avenues for photosynthetic production of biofuels and other valuable chemicals in eukaryotic algae. 97,98 In Thailand, part of the national policy on Bio-, Circular and Green Economy encourages waste-to-energy projects, and microbial conversion of biomass waste to alkane and alkene-based fuels is being explored as an exemplified opportunity. 99 Although the manufacturing of bio-based chemicals and fuels appears to be a promising alternative to conventional petrochemicalbased production, there are various challenges that need to be surmounted for the long-term sustainability of this sector, especially in the Asian region. To support the growing bioeconomy, there will be a need to secure sustainable biomass supply by increasing the cultivation area for crops and lignocellulose biomass. However, increased use of habitable land for agriculture and food crops as feedstock for bio-manufacturing is untenable in highly populous Asian nations. Use of lignocellulose biomass does not threaten food security but this feedstock requires pretreatment which is technologically demanding and costly and not yet commercially operative. 100 The diversification of the feedstock to industrial or agricultural wastes and the enhanced utilization of photosynthesis could further drive cost reduction for the manufacturing of bio-based chemicals and fuels.
Other challenges faced by researchers and businesses alike include synthesizing beyond nature. The well-studied biosynthetic pathways can be exploited for commercial applications, but the real potential of "on-demand" production of any molecules or designer materials will require the integrated advances in sequencing data gen- into poly-lactic acid in an existing refinery, the use of biomass feedstock was not economically competitive compared to the conventional petroleum-based product, although it was more environmentally friendly. 106 A pivot to the production of higher-value chemicals may be a potential solution for nations such as Singapore which lack native biomass feedstocks. Lastly, a right mix of policies and incentives to support the biomanufacturing sector is needed to ensure sustainability and to close the capability gap and reduce the risks as further discussed below. However, care must be taken so that these policies and incentives ensure a manageable growth of the sector and do not create a substantial backlog of new projects. the mainstream of the current gene therapy technology, the CRISPR-Cas system has been developed into base-editing tools that can bring us closer to precision gene editing for inherited diseases. 115 With respect to cell therapies, CAR-T cells are being enhanced to be safer, 116 more versatile, 117 and to be sourced and manufactured more robustly. 118 The repertoire of engineered immune cells is also being expanded beyond T-cells to include NK cells 119 and macrophages. 120 In addition to immune cells, engineered bacteria, single species or multi-species consortia, are also being developed for skin, gastrointestinal, and other microbiome-associated diseases, [121][122][123][124] and notably for systemic metabolic diseases, where the most advanced developments are already in human clinical trials for phenylketonuria. 125,126 Closely related are bacteriophages as highly potent and specific antimicrobials 127 ; engineered phages were also developed as modulating agents to enhance the effect of chemotherapy in cancer treatment. 128 It is envisioned that future smart medicine could come in the form of living cells that detect the diseased states and respond with therapeutic accuracy accordingly. 129 In other medical applications apart from therapeutics, synthetic biology has also empowered new methodologies for diagnostics and prophylactics. For in vitro diagnostic applications, reaction mixes with nucleic acid sensors based on RNA toehold switch 130,131  crops in most studies, to express heterologous nitrogenase genes or to form nodule-like symbiosis similar to legume roots; others seek to engineer bacteria that are naturally associated with cereal crops to carry out nitrogen fixation. 153,154 In China, plant synthetic biologists are using genome editing to engineer aromatic rice and wheat resistant to powdery mildew. 155 Rice, the staple food in Asia, has also been genetically modified to be resistant to bacterial blight. 156 Currently, an array of genome editing technologies are being developed in 9 Asian countries to engineer food crops, primarily for disease resistance. 157 These projects are still in the research and development phase and no product has reached the market yet. 157 Notably, unlike the US and EU, Asian countries have not made their position clear on crops with edited genomes; therefore, it remains to be seen if these countries will follow in US's footsteps of approving engineered crops with no foreign DNA. 155 It is likely that these countries might be in favor of Ideonella sakaiensis and the two key enzymes in 2016, 161 there has been many efforts in evolving the enzymes for higher efficiency. 162,163 Apart from plastics pollution, synthetic biologists also seek to reduce and upcycle electronic wastes by exploring heavy metal and rare earth element reclamation and recovery through engineered microbes. [164][165][166] Many of the research studies on environmental applications, such as alternative fuels, materials, or food production methods, face difficulty in translation into industrial processes or sustainable business models. To compete with the low cost of fossil-fuel-based products, significant technical advancement is necessary -for example, sourcing for cheaper, non-food feedstock that does not take up excessive land use, developing more cost-effective pretreatment methods of lignocellulose and other biomass, as mentioned above, and developing consolidated downstream processing technologies that can also exploit high-value byproducts. 167,168 In addition to technology breakthroughs, governments can put forward policy incentives to encourage the adoption of these new technologies, which will be discussed in the following section.

| BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE GROWTH IN ASIA
Over the next few decades, against the backdrop of a booming economy, Asia will have to face a myriad of problems as it tries to tackle climate change along with a population that is rising rapidly in some countries while ageing in others. An increase in the incidence of diseases will require Asia to invest in innovation in medicine to provide affordable healthcare to its people. A rising population poses a challenge to Asia's agri-food industry as it tries to cope with the high demand for food with limited availability of arable land. Depleting fossil fuels and rapid deterioration of the environment, exacerbated by climate change, will push Asia towards eco-friendly alternatives.
Although synthetic biology has the potential to provide solutions to these problems, the field has to be advanced further to mature these solutions and bring them into the society for the benefit of everyone.
Currently Public-private partnerships can also play an important role in spurring a sustained development of the field. Long-term government funding is vital in supporting research work towards "grand challenges" at the early stage, for which the risk is too high for industry to accept. 173 However, in addition to the long-term investment in basic science, it is also important to have an effective mechanism to catalyze technology translation and commercialization, which is often best achieved through private-public partnerships. Gauvreau et al dis- to diversify biofuel feedstock, reduce production cost, and study overall emission and general environmental impacts. In parallel, carbon taxing and additional evaluation framework that incorporates negative impacts of fossil fuels in long term also help to "push" the demand for more sustainable alternatives. In another detailed study of the national biofuel policy in India, 176 the authors emphasized many difficulties in achieving the renewable energy targets in the country; apart from the remaining technical challenges, it was also difficult to achieve a coordinated implementation of the biofuel policies at the federal and state levels, accountable long-term stewardship by multiple ministries (eg, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Finance, among others), and importantly, legal enforcement. Nevertheless, government support in the form of "technology push" and/or "market pull" policies 4 is essential to de-risk technologies for environmental applications, and make them more attractive to industry and investors who will subsequently explore potential sustainable business models. Equally important are frameworks and mechanisms for collaborative governance and performance evaluations. 4 To come up with these policy frameworks, it is important to engage stakeholders from academia, multiple government functions and industry to achieve a common understanding of the objectives, the technology, as well as the market.

| MITIGATING RISKS
It is a consensus that synthetic biology is a dual-use technology, which not only has the potential to bring benefits to the society, but also has inherent risks of being misused. Entering 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic again reminded us of the importance of biosecurity -when a new pathogen emerges, it brings catastrophic damage to public health and the economy that has no regard for borders. In the future, as the technology to engineer biological systems becomes more accessible, the risk of any deliberate or accidental release of a pathogen or an engineered organism will also increase. 177 Moreover, the growing reliance on biological data, especially sequence information, in medical and manufacturing applications makes future bio-based industries prone to "bio-hacking" through data breaches. 84 180 This is likely to improve in the coming years as the countries become increasingly focused on deliberate biological threats, as observed in a recent multilateral biosecurity dialogue. 181 In addition to biocontainment and regulations, education is an important way to mitigate risks by raising biosecurity awareness among researchers and the public. In the ethics modules of universities, and the code of conduct trainings for researchers, it is helpful to include the discussions of the dual-use character of synthetic biology. 178,179 A targeted exercise established by the EBRC, the "Malice Analysis" workshops, 182 gathers graduate students and researchers in the engineering biology community to practice their abilities to identify potential misuse of synthetic biology research, and to come up with mitigation plans accordingly. In the same vein, appropriately engaging the public on risk-benefit discussions can have the benefits of conveying the message that the researchers and governments have carefully considered the risks of synthetic biology, and preventing potential future backlash in public opinions. 178 Be it promoting technology advancement as a field, or setting up regulations to mitigate risks, regional and global collaborations are essential. Each country may have its specific problems and interests to invest in, such as the issue of tropical infectious diseases facing Southeast Asian countries. As a result, each country may prioritize development of technologies for solving its specific issues, and therefore will also have different levels of risk tolerance associated with applying new technologies. 177 Currently, the standards for biosafety and biosecurity regulations are highly variable even within a single country. 183 Experts are calling for more regional and even global harmonization and collaborations. 177,178,184 For instance, in the face of a novel pathogen, coordinated real-time communication and data sharing across borders will make biosecurity surveillance and response more effective. 184 In order to achieve this, it is important to have researchers and regulators from different countries align their understanding of the benefits and risks of synthetic biology, and lay out common frameworks for synthetic biology regulations and biosecurity surveillance. One good example is the global harmonization effort by the International Gene Synthesis Consortium, which is establishing a standardized synthetic DNA screening mechanism and working with multiple stakeholders to implement this as a global norm to safeguard against misuses of synthetic DNA. 185 Regional and global forums and working groups, such as SAARC and ASEAN, provide good opportunities for multilateral strategic planning, and facilitate the establishment of concerted biosecurity surveillance, preparedness and response mechanisms.

| CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
A number of topics of synthetic biology were reviewed in this article, including research advances and technology translation, as well as mechanisms for future investment, growth, and regulations. We summarize some of the key consensuses and recommendations to the field, especially in Asia, through the lens of the workshops in Singapore: this is a collection of opinions from a diverse group of expert practitioners and thought leaders.
• Significant investment and technology advancement in DNA synthesis, computer aided design and process automation, biological data science and machine learning are critical to further enable synthetic biology research and accelerate the DBTL cycle.
• Biological sequence data are valuable information and central to synthetic biology applications, and their collection, curation and sharing processes should be streamlined and harmonized globally, with robust data security surveillance.
• Applications in various sectors have achieved different levels of commercialization; past experiences encourage early-stage R&D project researchers to have the "end product" in mind and work closely with industry partners to develop the associated downstream processing, production scale-up, and economic or business models to effectively fulfil unmet needs.
• To facilitate rapid technology translation and deployment, integrated research-development-investment (R&D&I) ecosystem models are worth exploring, where effective private-public partnerships can be established.
• In addition to long-term investment in the development of science and technology, governments should also utilize "push-and-pull" policy instruments to facilitate the adoption of bio-based production, especially when such businesses face daunting competition from fossil fuel-powered industries.
• Synthetic biologists and policy makers should engage multiple stakeholders (public health, data security, defense, economy, and the public) to come up with strategies and regulations for biosecurity surveillance, risk mitigation and effective response mechanisms.
• Regional and global collaboration and standard harmonization are essential in advancing synthetic biology as a field and bolstering biosecurity defense.
With decades of research and key technology advancements, we are witnessing some initial success in technology translation and commercialization of synthetic biology, particularly in next-generation biomanufacturing and medical applications. Additional developments are necessary to realize the full potential of synthetic biology in not only industrial production, but also future smart medicine and environmental applications. We are optimistic that with the prior recommended actions and initiatives, strong collaborative synthetic biology R&D&I clusters can emerge in Asia and contribute to the sustainable growth of the global bioeconomy.