Synthetic biology is one of the fastest-growing areas of biotechnology – and Houston is uniquely positioned to lead. Few regions bring together energy, life sciences, aerospace, digital technology and advanced manufacturing at the scale Houston does. That convergence makes Houston an ideal place for SynBio companies to innovate and grow.
The National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology recently called biotechnology “an imperative for national security, economic power, and global influence.” With its diverse industries and collaborative spirit, Houston is primed to play a central role.
Synthetic biology, blends biology and engineering – often with computing and data sciences – to design new biological systems that create useful products. Examples include fungus-based materials, insulin made by engineered bacteria and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). Beyond new products, SynBio has broad implications for economic growth and supply chain resilience, and in Houston, it is bridging energy and life sciences to accelerate sustainable innovation and industrial decarbonization.
Learn how synthetic biology is being woven into the future of Houston’s economy.
Houston’s Competitive Advantage
Houston offers a rare concentration of industries that support advanced synthetic biology. The region is home to the world’s largest medical complex at the Texas Medical Center, over 4,200 energy-related companies, more than 7,000 manufacturing firms and over 150,000 tech workers. These assets are supported by a major port and logistics infrastructure, active venture investment, and a culture of applied innovation.
Several synthetic biology companies are already contributing to Houston’s energy and industrial ecosystems, demonstrating how the region’s diverse strengths can support emerging technologies.
- Solugen, a unicorn startup, blends biology with industrial chemistry to make specialty chemicals cleaner, faster, and more efficiently.
- Cemvita uses SynBio to convert industrial ‘waste’ and CO₂ into valuable products through bioengineered microbes. This company recently signed an agreement with Invest RS to build a facility in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, to produce FermOil™, a sustainable oil that can serve as feedstock for SAF production, and FermNPK™, a biofertilizer that supports regenerative agriculture.
- VIA BioFuels engineers yeast to produce versatile molecules for target applications including industrial chemicals, decarbonized packaging, SAF blendstocks and hydrogen transport.
- Loop Bioproducts leverages cacti as a feedstock and uses an anaerobic digester to produce biogas that can be converted to electricity, upgraded to pipeline quality natural gas, or converted to other forms of biofuels.
Houston is viewed as a favorable location for synthetic biology activity because of its infrastructure, concentration of talent, and cross-sector industry base. These factors provide companies with access to feedstocks, customers, and distribution networks that support scaling.
Venture firms have also taken notice. In 2022, Veronica Wu launched First Bight Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on early-state synthetic biology startups. Wu has noted that Houston has “all the ingredients to be a successful synthetic biology hub.”
Meeting Workforce Demand
Developing a skilled workforce is central to Houston’s ability to support growth in synthetic biology. Regional partnerships and educational programs are preparing students and workers with the skills companies need to scale.
BioPath at the Texas Medical Center and Learning Undefeated provide early exposure for students through hands-on lab training and mobile STEM labs. San Jacinto College, a partner of the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, offers a biotechnology training program and will open a large-scale Biomanufacturing Training Center in the fall of 2025. Initiatives like the BioMS Collaborative and the Greater Houston Partnership’s UpSkill Houston are aligning talent pipelines with future industry needs.
These efforts ensure that as synthetic biology companies expand, they have access to a pipeline of talent equipped with the technical and operational expertise required for commercialization and growth.