1. Executive Summary

AlphaBrick is a novel software tool for the easy design, exchange and creation of synthetic gene constructs.

Recent advances in the synthetic biology field, such as with the Crisper/Cas9 system, have dramatically increased the potential of synthetic biology technologies to transform our world. We can now use our biological understanding to create products that solve some of the biggest challenges the world faces. These advances, however, require a new set of accessible computational tools that enable the synthetic biologist to quickly and collaboratively design and test DNA circuitry.

Employing a lean methodology, we have identified the three key problems faced by the synthetic biology community. Currently, (1) the design of gene circuits is complex because collaboration between and within teams is difficult and thought processes are lost, (2) exchange of gene circuit parts is messy, as you have to individually track and hunt down the person who created it and (3) individuals have to have an advanced understanding of programming languages to use automated labs.

Our software platform solution, Alpha Brick, originated at the UK’s first 72-hour bio-hackathon at which it won first place. AlphaBrick allows synthetic biologists to easily design, exchange and create DNA circuitry. The platform enables users to experience a quicker, traceable design process that ensures that decisions are recorded and that subsequent progress is accelerated. It provides a marketplace for lab designs by facilitating the buying and selling of gene circuit parts, making collaboration easier. The integration of the AlphaBrick platform with Transcriptic’s automated laboratories saves precious time and reduces the knowledge-barrier to using robotic labs. Our platform’s patent notification and parts combination recommendation, furthermore, address an unmet need of biotech industry that we identified through industry interviews. We envisage that AlphaBrick will have a big impact on accelerating synthetic biology research and commercialisation.

The synthetic biology community of biohackers, academics, startups and established biotech companies who have these problems is growing quickly and the current tools available don’t address these concerns in an integrated way. There is space in this is $1.2 billion market for an easy to use tool that allows high share ability of gene circuitry. The platform will be commercialised such that users will be required to pay a monthly subscription fee at the average market rate for the platform’s premium features.

Our multidisciplinary team consists of developers, biologists and entrepreneurs and can be broadly stratified into product development and business development. The current team was formed at the Cambridge University Technology and Enterprise Club’s 2016 Bio hackathon. Our 4 co-founding members are working to establish AlphaBrick as an incorporated software company.

Working through the prestigious Accelerate Cambridge programme, we envisage that our alpha-version will be ready for distribution in January 2017 and that our final product will be ready for launch in June 2017. In order to ensure the progression of our venture, Alphabrick are looking to raise £20,000 in pre-seed from angel investors funding or non-dilutive funding by the start of February 2017.