GenSeat began as a vision; a vision of fully formed seats and chairs emerging from giant vats of colorful bioengineered bacterial cellulose. Acetobacter naturally produces mats of cellulose that can be used for a variety of purposes. We wanted to create a broader spectrum of materials, so we altered the properties of the cellulose mats by engineering Acetobacter to express enzymes that synthesize N-acetyl glucosamine, a subunit of chitin. The result is a chitin-cellulose copolymer with unique properties. We have also engineered colors into the mats, and demonstrated their use in modern architectural design.

Cloning

Learn about our cloning techniques, primer designs, transformation protocols, and exciting adventures along the way.

Transforming

Learn about our cloning techniques, primer designs, transformation protocols, and exciting adventures along the way.

Growing

See how we learned to grow cellulose in Kombucha tea, and produced sheeting on a large scale.

Designing

Creating functional furniture out of completely organic materials takes creativity, flare, and a lot of awesome tools.

Human Practices

Our human practices involved a 200+ response national survey on genetic engineering and a pop-up shop selling synthetic biology products at the Atlantic Antic street fair in Brooklyn, NY!