Michael Jewett, Systems for Cell-Free Biomanufacturing
The research of Michael Jewett, PhD, is based on synthetic biology, which uses engineering principles to take apart cells, extract parts useful for different purposes, and redeploy those as human needs and scientific possibilities align. During the pandemic, some of his research has pivoted to identify ways where cell-free systems can be leveraged to address issues related to COVID-19.
Jewett, director of the Center for Synthetic Biology at Northwestern, co-founded Stemloop, with fellow Northwestern faculty member Julius Lucks, PhD, and former postdoctoral associate Khalid Alam, PhD, who serves as CEO. Prior to the pandemic, Stemloop had focused on water diagnostics, whereas now, the company is looking to extend its applications to include surface and water testing of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
Similarly, SwiftScale Biologics, which Jewett co-founded with Cornell professor Matthew DeLisa, PhD, and the current CEO, David Mace, also pivoted its cell-free technologies to scale up the development of therapies for COVID-19 in partnership with several pharmaceutical companies. Due to their unique manufacturing platform, SwiftScale could potentially reduce the time-to-market from 18 months down to two for antibody drugs that neutralize the virus.
They are the manufacturing arm of their partners who are looking to begin clinical trials in the short-term. “The true goal is to expand our ability to discover and test new neutralizing drugs faster than ever before, such that we can dramatically shorten the timeline to get these drugs to patients,” said Jewett, who is also Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence and Walter P. Murphy Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering. If trials succeed, SwiftScale could be producing 100,000 doses per month.
Jewett's prolific startup pipeline also includes Design Pharmaceuticals. Design’s approach seeks to identify small molecule drugs by combining artificial intelligence and cell-free systems to understand the language of molecules in the microbiome including antimicrobials, anti-inflammatory, and neuroactive molecules.
Realizing the importance of bringing light to the exciting future of synthetic biology, Jewett and MIT professor, Jim Collins, have created an educational resource called BioBits which exposes middle and high school students to the science behind vaccine manufacturing and molecular diagnostics, all with freeze-dried cell-free systems. These “just add water” kits have reached 10,000 students. “Our cell-free systems are transforming synthetic biology education across the globe,” Jewett said.
Additional spinout companies by Jewett are in the works, all with the intent to continue capturing the great value of cell-free biomanufacturing.