The BioDesign Newsletter

Issue #014

Inspired by conversations with the brilliant minds driving us towards a sustainable world, we are announcing a new content branch - Behind the Breakthroughs. Here we will bring you closer to the innovative processes, technologies and people making a difference for our planet.

Creating a sustainable world is a task that can only be achieved by a collective. A collective, made up of individuals, with tenacity and drive ranging across industries and skills.

Today, we announce the launch of the first instalment of Behind The Breakthroughs, with the incredibly thought-provoking, Dr Tiago Selão, who takes us on his journey into the realm of climate tech and what it means to be a scientist in the field.

What if it was possible to make something out of thin air?

It was this question which started the sustainability journey of scientist Dr Tiago Selão.

How can skin care reduce waste?

Dr Selão works at 17Cicada, a biotechnology company, which uses waste streams to make useful compounds. Among the environmental problems we face is the rising concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The greenhouse gas has contributed to global warming and subsequently, climate change.

It was this problem which brought Dr Selão to consider the use of carbon dioxide to make hyaluronic acid at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. Hyaluronic acid is a compound used in the beauty and medical industry. At NTU his work involved using carbon dioxide from the air and modified microorganisms to make this well known beauty compound. Dr Selão’s journey of sustainably producing hyaluronic acid has continued at 17Cicada.

Read the full piece here

If you are interested being featured in this series please get in touch [email protected]

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