The Rapid Growth of the Synthetic Biology Market: A New Turning Point for the Biotech Industry in 2025
Editor
Commercial Breakthroughs in Synthetic Biology: Market Status in 2025
As of December 2025, the synthetic biology market is experiencing unprecedented growth, emerging as a central pillar of the global biotech industry. According to the latest report from McKinsey & Company, the global synthetic biology market size is expected to reach $39.4 billion in 2025 and expand to $120.5 billion by 2030, maintaining an average annual growth rate of 25.2%. The rapid growth is driven by the accelerated commercialization of CRISPR-Cas9 technology, the spread of bio-manufacturing, and the increasing industrial demand for sustainable production methods.
Notably, synthetic biology technology is expanding beyond traditional chemical and pharmaceutical industries into food, cosmetics, textiles, and energy sectors. Analysis by Boston Consulting Group indicates that bio-manufacturing using synthetic biology can reduce production costs by 30-50% compared to conventional petrochemical-based methods and decrease carbon emissions by over 70%. These economic and environmental advantages are critical factors influencing global companies’ investment decisions.
Ginkgo Bioworks, headquartered in Emeryville, California, announced a 43% year-over-year increase in revenue, reaching $124 million in Q3 2025. The company’s ‘biological manufacturing platform’ is currently managing over 750 projects in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, chemicals, and food sectors, reducing the average product development time from 18 months to 8 months for its clients. This indicates that synthetic biology technology has moved beyond a mere research tool to a stage of generating substantial commercial value.
In Korea, Samsung Biologics is establishing a unique positioning in the synthetic biology field. Located in Songdo, Incheon, the company reported sales of 1.85 trillion KRW in the first half of 2025 in its contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) segment, with approximately 15% of this revenue stemming from synthetic biology-based biopharmaceutical production. The company is expanding its capabilities in next-generation antibody and cell therapy production through partnerships with U.S. biotech firms and plans to invest an additional 500 billion KRW in a dedicated synthetic biology production line by 2026.
Technological Innovation and Changes in Market Competition
Technological advancements in synthetic biology are centered around three main areas. First is the improvement in the precision of gene editing tools. The team led by Professor Jennifer Doudna, who developed CRISPR technology, announced in October 2025 the expansion of commercial licenses for ‘Prime Editing’ technology, enabling gene editing with 99.7% accuracy. Second is the development of automated biological design platforms. Twist Bioscience, headquartered in South San Francisco, California, produces an average of 250,000 oligonucleotides per day through its DNA synthesis platform, a 35% increase from the previous year.
Third is the optimization of biological systems using AI and machine learning. Since the release of Google DeepMind’s AlphaFold technology, protein structure prediction accuracy has improved to over 90%, significantly enhancing the drug development process. These technological advancements greatly increase the research and development efficiency of synthetic biology companies, reducing the time to market for new products from the traditional 5-7 years to 2-3 years.
In terms of competition, collaboration between large pharmaceutical companies and specialized biotech firms is becoming more intimate. In September 2025, Swiss company Roche announced a strategic partnership worth $1 billion with U.S.-based Modern Meadow to enter the bio-based materials development sector. Modern Meadow, headquartered in Nutley, New York, specializes in bio-materials and has developed ‘Biofabricated Material,’ a fungus-based leather alternative, securing supply contracts with global sports brands like Nike and Adidas.
Meanwhile, China’s synthetic biology market is also rapidly growing. BGI Genomics, headquartered in Beijing, reported a 67% year-over-year increase in synthetic biology-related revenue, reaching 1.2 billion yuan in the first half of 2025. The Chinese government has designated synthetic biology as a national strategic technology in its ’14th Five-Year Plan,’ committing to invest 100 billion yuan (approximately $13.8 billion) by 2030. This significantly exceeds the U.S. National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative budget of $2 billion, indicating an expected increase in China’s influence in the global market.
Celltrion is one of the most proactive Korean biopharmaceutical companies investing in the synthetic biology sector. Headquartered in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, the company recorded biosimilar sales of 1.12 trillion KRW in Q3 2025, with approximately 8% derived from next-generation biopharmaceuticals utilizing synthetic biology technology. The company’s CAR-T cell therapy, currently under development, has demonstrated over 30% improved efficacy compared to existing therapies, as confirmed by clinical trial results.
Investment Trends and Future Outlook
The investment volume in the synthetic biology sector in 2025 is expected to increase by 42% year-over-year, reaching $18.7 billion. According to data from venture capital specialist CB Insights, synthetic biology startups raised a total of $15.6 billion from January to November 2025, already surpassing the 2024 annual investment of $13.2 billion. Notably, late-stage investments (Series C and beyond) account for 47% of the total, indicating that synthetic biology companies are nearing commercialization.
Regionally, North America still forms the largest market, accounting for 62% of total investments, but the Asia-Pacific region has the highest growth rate. In Korea, the government plans to invest a total of 3 trillion KRW in the synthetic biology sector from 2025 to 2030 through the ‘K-Bio Belt Project.’ This will focus on building research and development infrastructure and supporting companies centered around bio-clusters in Songdo, Osong, and Daegu.
In terms of industry applications, the pharmaceutical sector remains the largest market, but the chemical and materials sectors have the highest growth rates. DuPont announced in November 2025 that it increased its bio-based nylon production by 150% compared to the previous year and plans to completely transition from petrochemical-based production to bio-based production starting in 2026. This shift aligns with consumer trends prioritizing sustainability and government carbon neutrality policies.
The use of synthetic biology is also expanding in the agricultural sector. Monsanto (now owned by Bayer) announced that its drought-resistant corn variety developed using synthetic biology technology showed a 23% increase in yield compared to conventional varieties in 2025 trial cultivation. This variety is set to begin commercial sales in 2026 and is being recognized as a key technology to address agricultural productivity decline due to climate change.
However, challenges remain in the synthetic biology sector. First is the uncertainty of the regulatory environment. Although the U.S. FDA released new guidelines for synthetic biology-based pharmaceuticals in August 2025, the approval process remains complex and time-consuming. Second is the difficulty of scaling up production. Many technologies that succeed at the laboratory level incur higher-than-expected costs when scaled to commercial levels. Third is the concern over biosecurity. Long-term research is lacking on the potential environmental impacts of microorganisms or compounds developed through synthetic biology technology.
Despite these challenges, the long-term outlook for the synthetic biology market is very bright. In a report released in December 2025, Goldman Sachs projected that the synthetic biology market would grow at an average annual rate of 22% to reach $390 billion by 2035. Innovative products in personalized medicine, sustainable chemical materials, and alternative proteins are expected to be launched consecutively. For investors, despite considering technological risks and regulatory uncertainties, it is evaluated as a promising investment area with high long-term growth potential.
This content is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice or recommendations. Investment decisions should be made at the individual’s discretion and responsibility, and there is a risk of loss of principal in financial investments.
