Synthetic Biology in the Economist?

The Economist is figuring out that research into synthetic biology and related areas has tremendous potential to make, among other things, better plastics in fewer steps.  In a brief article that does not really do justice to the subject, they note that Dr. Sang Yup Lee  and his colleagues have genetically engineered E. coli to produce a plastic from renewable resources rather than oil.  The biodegradable plastic is called polylactic acid (PLA) and typically it must be made in a two step process.  The newly engineered E. coli bacteria has several genes from other bacteria that are inserted and a synthetic metabolic pathway is created to produce the polymer in one step.  If the laboratory research can be put into commercial production, this bacteria may substantially lower the cost of PLA.  If that happens, you may see more wide spread use of PLA in biodegradable food and drink packaging, clothing, and even plastic diapers.  The research article can be found in Biotechnology and Bioengineering here.