Intro to Biodesign: Working with Living Things

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COOPER HEWITT 2019
WORKING WITH
LIVING THINGS

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We are the world’s
first community
biology lab, a new
model for open
access science
rooted in its
neighborhood.

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From Chat Room
To Living Room
To Laboratory
An Artist, A Journalist, and
A Scientist
In 2009, a group met in a living room to
explore their interest in biotechnology.
Within a year, co-founders Nurit Bar-Shai
(artist), Dr. Ellen Jorgensen (biologist),
Daniel Grushkin (journalist), Dr. Russell
Durrett, and Dr. Oliver Medvedik opened
Genspace, the first-ever community
biotechnology laboratory in downtown
Brooklyn.

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Leticia
Cartier Oxley
Design Researcher
Peruvian from Colorado
BA in Literature and Philosophy, from
Regis University
MA in Design Studies from Parsons
School of Design
Focus: Prototypes and Speculative
Design
Techniques: biomaterials,
photography, silk-screen

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Beth Tuck
Scientist and Educator
From West Virginia
BA in Biology, Psychology from
Hanover College
MA in Molecular Cell Biology from
Washington University in St. Louis
Research Focus: Molecular
mechanisms of inherited neurological
disorders
Techniques: molecular biology
(genetic engineering), biochemistry,
cell culture, microscopy, mouse
models, genomics/bioinformatics, etc.

MOUSE MODELS AND
NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS

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G A T C G C G T A C G T A C G T T T T C A
C G C G A T C G C G T A C G T A C G T T T

Microbes as Factories
The producers of biodesign products
are often things such as:
Algae
Bacteria
Yeast
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G C A T C G C G A T C G C G T A C G T A C G T T T T C A G C A T C G C G
C G C G T A C G T A C G T T T T C A G C A T C G C G A T C G C G T A C G
G T T T T C A G C A T C G C G A T C G C G T A C G T A C G T T T T C A G
Instead of glueing, welding,
sewing, binding, materials,
biodesign grows, extrudes,
extracts, and expresses
products from living things.

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PAST & FUTURE
Insulin
Yoghurt

E. Chromi.
The Scatalog
Daisy Ginsburg,

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Syn-Bio Edition
GAME
TIME
WOULD YOU EAT IT?

Vanilla
Ice cream and many other sweet treats
taste like vanilla. Pure vanilla extract comes
from the beans of orchid plants, which are
scarce and costly. Artificial (or imitation)
vanillin is produced inexpensively using
chemical processes, but many people
think it doesn’t taste as good. A new
alternative, synthetic vanilla, is produced by
engineered yeast. It’s cheap, and it can be
labeled as “natural” since it’s produced
through fermentation. Do you think
products should have to indicate that they
contain synthetic vanilla? If so, what should
the label say?

Synthetic Caffeine
People drink caffeinated coffee, soda, and
energy drinks to wake them up, give them
energy, and increase their ability to
concentrate. Caffeine is naturally found in
plants from South America, including
coffee plant seeds, cocoa beans, and kola
nuts. By engineering yeast to produce
caffeine, we could grow this ingredient in
the lab, which might be less expensive. Do
you think the reduced cost would be worth
the potential threat to jobs on coffee and
cocoa plantations?

Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is extracted from coconut
meat, and is used as an ingredient in
baked goods, fried foods, soaps, and health
and beauty products. Most coconut oil
comes from trees grown in tropical areas.
Researchers have engineered algae to
produce lauric acid, which is the saturated
fatty acid found in coconut oil (as well as
palm kernel oil). How do you feel about
using or eating oil produced by algae?

Lab-grown Meat
Meat grown in a lab sounds like science
fiction—but it’s now possible to grow
animal muscle fibers in a laboratory using
stem cells. In vitro meat isn’t yet available
in the supermarket, but in the future it
could help feed a growing world
population using less energy and land than
livestock. Some animal rights advocates
support this technology over raising
animals for meat. Would you choose lab-
grown meat over a beef or soy burger?

G C G A T C G C G T A C G T A C G T T T T C A G C A T C G C G A T C G C
A C G T A C G T T T T C A G C A T C G C G A T C G C G T A C G T A C G T
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A T C G C G T A C G T A C G T T T T C A G C A T C G C G A T C G C G T A
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C A T C G C G A T C G C G T A C G T A C G T T T T C A G C A T C G C G A
G C G T A C G T A C G T T T T C A G C A T C G C G A T C G C G T A C G T
G T T T T C A G C A T C G C G A T C G C G T A C G T A C G T T T T C A G C
C G C G A T C G C G T A C G T A C G T T T T C A G C A T C G C G A T C G
T A C G T A C G T T T T C A G C A T C G C G A T C G C G T A C G T A C G
T C A G C A T C G C G A T C G C G T A C G T A C G T T T T C A G C A T C
G A T C G C G T A C G T A C G T T T T C A
BIODESIGN BASICS
Great discoveries are transformed through design
into something that everyone can use.

BIODESIGN BASICS:
WHAT & WHY?
FORMS AND FUNTIONS FROM NATURE
New Applications
ENGINEERING
Microbes as the workhorses of synthetic biology.
INTERVENTION
Reparations and Sustainability; Problem Solving

Suzanne Lee
Kombucha Leather

Modern Meadow
Zoa

Phil Ross
Mycotecture

BIODESIGN BASICS:
WHAT & WHY?
DYNAMIC AND CRITICAL
Problem Finding or Problem Framing (What if?)
COMMUNICATION
What the world could be?; Empathy for fellow
beings.
ORIGINS
Where do we come from? Who are we? What are
we?

Christina Agapakis
& Sissel Tolaas
Human Cheese

BIODESIGN BASICS:
WHERE & WHEN?
NOW
What are interventions or questions we can address
in the present?
What do we know? What technologies are available
to us right now?
FUTURE
10, 100, 1,000 years from now
“Realistic” Expectations, Projections
Moving from “Now” into “Spaces of Promise”; not
repeating utopian and dystopian narratives

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A C G T A C G T T T T C A G C A T C G C G
G C G A T C G C G T A C G T A C G T T T T
G C A T C G C G A T C G C G T A C G T A C
T T T C A G C A T C G C G A T C G C G T A
T A C G T T T T C A G C A T C G C G A T C
A T C G C G T A C G T A C G T T T T C A G

Daisy Ginsburg
The Surrogate

BIODESIGN BASICS:
HOW?
RESEARCH
Reading magazines, Scholarly Articles, Film,
Gathering Images/Inspiration
TECHNICAL SKILLS
Build from skills you have, Build skills you want,
Learn about skills experts are using

Want to
know more?
Get in touch
ADDRESS
132 32nd St. Suite 108
Brooklyn, NY 11232
PHONE
929. 387. 8100
EMAIL
info@genspace.org
SOCIAL MEDIA
@genspacenyc

UPCOMING CLASSES /
EVENTS
June 7: Sunset Park Wide Open: Biology Lab as Studio
June 8: The GIFt of Life: Engineering Proteins for
Medicine, Art, and Our Planet
June 8: Genome Editing with CRISPR-cas9
June 23: Biomaterial Crash Course
June 23: Hormones gone Haywire! DIY testing for
Endocrine Disrupting Compounds
Register at: www.genspace.org/classes

Intro to Biodesign: Working with Living Things

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