J Craig Venter Institute

What it reported doing in 2024

National science foundation continues to fund the j. Craig venter institute (jcvi) in the areas of synthetic biology, integrative organismal systems core programs. Funded by the office of international science and engineering, dr. Tae seok moon, jcvi professor leads an international consortium through a global center to address the challenges of recalcitrant waste streams by developing integrated, novel, and scalable processes for their valorization, integrating researchers all over the world and from academia and industry, and providing global education, outreach activities, and workforce. Global centers: circle: center for innovative recycling and circular economy is suported by research teams in the united states, canada, united kingdom, korea, japan, singapore & australia. This center will develop three core technologies, including (1) multi-omics-based bioprospecting to discover new enzymes, gene regulators, and organisms for waste valorization, (2) predictive computational approaches to enable forward engineering of proteins and strains for biomanufacturing, and (3) tea, lca, and risk assessment to develop commercially viable bioprocesses for waste valorization. To demonstrate the utility and generalizability of the developed core technologies, we will develop commercially viable valorization processes for three waste streams, including mixed plastics, c1 gases, and biogenic wastes (e.g., food, agricultural, and paper/cardboard wastes). If successful, these high-risk, high-return center projects will provide novel waste conversion processes that can be considered for commercial-scale, sustainable bioproduction. This is multi-year international study. The us consortium has been funded upto $4.9m. Non-us collaborators have been funded through research agencies within their own countries. Under the division of molecular and cellular bioscience and in collaboration with the university of Illinois minimal bacterial cell computational modeleing team led by zaida luthey-schulten, jcvi researchers led by dr. John glass, are carrying out transcriptome and metablomic analyses, biochemical and genetic experiements to discover unknown gene functions, optimization of a minimal cell defined growth medium, and constrcution of minimal cell mutatns to facilitate the work of jcvi and other group[s investigating minimal cell biology. This is a multi-year study with collaborative funding of $2.0m (~$0.7m jcvi).led by dr. John glass, the jcvi is investigating the mechanism of genome transplantation, develop genome transplantation for at least two species of non-mycoplasma bacteria, and use microfluidics technology to automate and improve the efficiency of genome transplantation. Genome transplantation, the insertion of a complete bacterial genome into a suitable recipient cell so that the donated genome commandeers the recipient cell to produce a new cell with the genotype and phenotype of the donated genome, was the fundamental technical development that enabled the construction of the first bacterium with a synthetic genome. At the announcement of the creation of the world's first synthetic cell, jcvi-syn1.0, the work was heralded as a major accomplishment for humankind. To date, genome transplantation has only been achieved using a small subset if the atypical bacteria called mycoplasmas. This is a multi-year study with collaborative funding of $1.0m.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 68.9%; rating input score 69
• Program expense ratio: 45.5%; rating input score 45
• Fundraising efficiency: $29.63 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
• Grant itemization coverage: 99.7%; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 71.4%; rating input score 71; 12th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -36.1%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.01; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.21; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 20.2%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -10.7% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -10.9% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -6.6% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings