Synthetic Biology Entrepreneur Dies

Austen Heinz, who founded Cambrian Genomics to custom print DNA and had grand ideas about designing organisms, has passed away at age 31.

kerry grens
| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
Share

COURTESY SYNBIOBETAAusten Heinz, the founder of the synthetic biology startup Cambrian Genomics, died last month (May 24). He was 31. According to an obituary posted last week (June 5) on thepilot.com, Heinz “worked to change the world by democratizing access to synthetic DNA through cost-effective, accurate DNA laser printing.”

Heinz, who earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Seoul National University in South Korea, began his career in synthetic biology as a member of the Duke iGEM team, a genetic engineering student competition. In 2011, he founded Cambrian Genomics.

“Austen was never afraid to speak his mind and his enthusiasm and dedication to synthetic biology and his company were an inspiration,” according to a statement from iGEM. “His work had the potential to revolutionize synbio and the community was eagerly anticipating news from Cambrian.”

In recent months, Heinz captured attention outside the synthetic biology community with his bold ideas for designing life. “Everything that’s alive we want to rewrite,” Heinz told TechRepublic last year. “Everything that’s alive can be made better and more ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Keywords

Meet the Author

  • kerry grens

    Kerry Grens

    Kerry served as The Scientist’s news director until 2021. Before joining The Scientist in 2013, she was a stringer for Reuters Health, the senior health and science reporter at WHYY in Philadelphia, and the health and science reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio. Kerry got her start in journalism as a AAAS Mass Media fellow at KUNC in Colorado. She has a master’s in biological sciences from Stanford University and a biology degree from Loyola University Chicago.

Share
3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Lonza
An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Taconic Biosciences
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo
New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

Sino

Products

Tecan Logo

Tecan introduces Veya: bringing digital, scalable automation to labs worldwide

Explore a Concise Guide to Optimizing Viral Transduction

A Visual Guide to Lentiviral Gene Delivery

Takara Bio
Inventia Life Science

Inventia Life Science Launches RASTRUM™ Allegro to Revolutionize High-Throughput 3D Cell Culture for Drug Discovery and Disease Research

An illustration of differently shaped viruses.

Detecting Novel Viruses Using a Comprehensive Enrichment Panel

Twist Bio