Understanding Synthetic Biology with Dr. Christopher Vickery

Understanding Synthetic Biology With Dr. Christopher Vickery and Georgia Hirst

On March 17th, 2023, Dr. Christopher Vickery and Georgia Hirst discussed how Landkind is harnessing the power of synthetic biology and the wellness of you and the planet.  

Dr. Christopher Vickery is the Head of the HARMONY™ platform for DoubleRainbow Biosciences and Head of Research for Landkind. Dr. Vickery’s work explores the intricacies of plant chemistry to sustainably recreate valuable natural products with pure essential bioactive ingredients.


Georgia Hirst is a Landkind Ambassador, talented actress, charity activist, and wellness enthusiast. Called Gee for short, she is best known for her role as Torvi on the Amazon series, Vikings.


During the early portion of the 25-minute live Q&A, Georgia poses a series of questions about Landkind science. 

Understanding Synthetic Biology

"Obviously, I'm not a scientist. I know about the product because obviously, I think it's important to know about the product before you take it. But if you could explain in kind of a way that people understand synthetic biology and which synbio platform is behind Lankind and the supplement?"

- Georgia Hirst

Dr. Vickery: Apologies if I get a little nerdy here, but I'm super passionate about the whole field and how it's grown over the past five or ten years.

So I think synthetic biology is a very broad term. It can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. But when we talk about synthetic biology, we're really talking about an engineering problem or an engineering effort.


What we're doing is, we're actually engineering biological systems. Hence the term bioengineering, and engineering these biological systems to make things, to manufacture things, that we're interested in making.

And so, the whole principle behind synthetic biology is that if we see something that we can find in nature, whether it's a molecule or something like that, that is giving us desirable properties like salidroside, or even caffeine, synthetic biology is really interested in understanding first how it's made in nature. So how does this plant make salidrosideIt's a great question. 

Dr. Vickery: First thing we want to do is try to figure out how the plant is making it. Once we understand all the tools that the plant uses, what kind of enzymes and things that are in the plant that lets it make salidroside? We can then identify those and take them out and put them into basically a factory, really a cell factory.


To make those molecules, we're taking things like baker seeds, a very common organism that is used to make beer, bread, and things like that. We can actually provide it with the tools that we know are required for making salidroside, for making some molecule.


But then what we have now is we have this yeast stream that we can grow up, grow very quickly, and basically have it produce these molecules just like a factory, which we can then purify and use as our product.

In the context of what we're doing, that's what synthetic biology means to us, understanding how something is made in nature, transplanting it into some way we can utilize it and make it faster and more efficiently, and then use that as our product.


What is salidroside?

The compounds that are most active within the endangered adaptogenic plant,  Rhodiola, are called Rosavin and Salidroside. The powerful adaptogenic properties of these biocompounds help your body adjust psychologically and physiologically to stressors such as physical activity or changes in the environment. 


These compounds help reduce fatigue, improve mood, increase concentration levels, improve cognitive function, reduce anxiety levels, and even boost your immune system! Additionally, Rhodiola has also been studied for its anti-inflammatory effects which could prove useful for those suffering from chronic inflammation or pain-related conditions.


Protecting precious ecosystems, endangered species, and our planet begins with making more sustainable choices for our daily lives. Landkind's LK-01 is the world's first clinically proven, sustainably-engineered, pure Salidroside. A supplement that packs all the benefits of taking Rhodiola while leaving nature untouched. 

What is HARMONY?

DoubleRainbow Biosciences', HARMONY, is a molecular biosynthesis platform used to decode biosynthetic pathways of valuable bioactive compounds and sustainably recreate them through synthetic biology. Creating new opportunities to promote human health, food security, and the long-term sustainability of our planet.

Powered By Synthetic Biology

With the power of HARMONY, we are able to offer 12x the Salidroside content found in traditional Rhodiola supplements, all while protecting the endangered adaptogen from over-harvesting. 


If you're ready to beat fatigue and experience mental clarity, LK-01 Pure Salidroside might be a solution for you. The potency, purity, consistency, and efficacy of LK-01 are undefeated. Support your cognitive function with two capsules daily for peak performance. 



Watch The Full Q&A

Wondering what other science questions were answered during the live Q&A? Interested in learning more about Georgia's Landkind experience? The full-length Q&A is available for you to view below. 

About Landkind

Landkind is an entirely new class of sustainable supplements, born from mother nature's blueprint and precision-engineered to advance human health. Our revolutionary process enables us to harness the intelligence of evolution to create wellness products that are identical to what we find in nature. From how we source and produce, to how we test and measure – we're fundamentally changing the way wellness products are made. Learn more at www.landkind.health.


About Double Rainbow

Double Rainbow is a sustainable biotech company harnessing the power of natural evolution through bioengineering to improve the quality of human health and ensure the sustainability of our planet. By leveraging advances in the areas of genomics, metabolomics, and synthetic biology, we are accessing the richness and efficacy of natural chemistry like never before to bring therapeutics and bioceuticals to the world at scale without harming the environment. Learn more at www.doublerainbowbio.com.

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