Astamuse Co., Ltd.
The future of chemical and manufacturing industries transformed by “bio-manufacturing”: The current state of research and development as seen from grants and startups
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Astamuse Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO Ayumu Nagai) uses our innovation database (innovation and research and development information such as papers, patents, startups, and grants) in the technology field related to biomanufacturing. We have conducted a comprehensive analysis and summarized the trends in a report.
[Image 1: https://prtimes.jp/i/7141/509/resize/d7141-509-f90b70dd534225e562ac-0.jpg&s3=7141-509-07c568ab44d4cb6451edaad5afde092f-1280×800.jpg] What is “biomanufacturing” and “synthetic biology”?
“Bio-manufacturing” refers to the production of useful substances by utilizing the abilities of living things, especially microorganisms. The use of microorganisms in the production of foods and medicines has been practiced for a long time, such as fermented foods such as yogurt and antibiotics such as penicillin.
In recent years, biotechnology for modifying the genes of living things, such as genome editing and DNA synthesis, has rapidly developed. Utilizing this technology, the academic field of
“synthetic biology” was born, in which biological functions are designed and biological systems are constructed artificially. As a result of the use of synthetic biology to create organisms that produce target substances through chemical reactions, the types of substances that can be made by microorganisms have expanded. Most chemical reactions (metabolic reactions) within the bodies of living things proceed under mild conditions, without requiring heating to hundreds of degrees Celsius or high pressure. Another feature is that it does not rely on fossil fuels such as biomass and CO2 for raw materials. Therefore, biomanufacturing is expected to be a
manufacturing method that consumes less energy and contributes to carbon neutrality.
In 2009, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) proposed the concept of “bioeconomy,” which aims to create a sustainable economic society by utilizing biological resources and biotechnology. The market is expected to reach 2.7% of the GDP of OECD member countries in 2030, with 39% of this market expected to be in the industrial sector, where bio-manufacturing is the main target (Note 1).
Note 1: OECD “The Bioeconomy to 2030: designing a policy agenda”
https://www.oecd.org/sti/futures/long-termtechnologicalsocietalchallenges/thebioeconomyto2030designingapolicyagenda.htm Following the OECD’s proposal for a bioeconomy, countries around the world are implementing policies aimed at promoting industry through biotechnology. In Japan, a biostrategy was formulated in 2019 with the goal of “realizing the world’s most advanced bioeconomy society by 2030.” Japan’s biostrategy is updated every year, and efforts are being made to improve the research and development environment, such as building a data infrastructure for biomass materials and creating a community that includes the provision of living environments and manufacturing facilities. Masu.
Research and development toward the use of biomanufacturing is progressing not only in food and medicine, where microorganisms have been used for a long time, but also in a wide range of industrial fields, including clothing, containers, and cosmetics. In this article, we will look at the development trends in biomanufacturing, focusing on the production of chemical products that utilize biotechnology and the metabolic reactions of microorganisms. Funding amount and number of startup companies related to “bio-manufacturing” Start-up companies are expected to have a major impact on society and existing companies through new technology, and the amount of funding they raise is considered to reflect society’s expectations.
At Astamuse, we predict trends in emerging fields through an analysis called “future estimation,” which identifies technological elements that have been growing in recent years by calculating the annual trends in the number of keywords appearing. By tracing the changes in keywords, it is possible to visualize technologies that have already gone out of fashion and elemental technologies that are predicted to be in the spotlight in the future, and to predict the technology that will develop in the future and the technology status such as dawn, budding, growth, and implementation. becomes possible.
Figure 1 shows the annual trends in keywords included in the company profiles of startup companies involved in biomanufacturing from 2013 to 2022.
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Figure 1: Annual trends in characteristic keywords included in outlines of startup companies related to biomanufacturing
The growth rate here represents the ratio of the number of appearances in the most recent five years to the number of appearances in the literature over the entire period. The closer the number is to 1, the more frequently it appears.
Words with high growth rates are dominated by words related to microorganisms and words referring to manufacturing itself using biotechnology, such as biomanufacturing. Advanced technological elements are not seen in startups, and it is thought that
biomanufacturing has not reached the point of social implementation. Figure 2 shows the number of biomanufacturing startup companies established and the amount of funding raised from 2013 to 2022. The number of companies established has increased since 2013 and reached its maximum in 2020, while the amount of funding has been increasing year by year.
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Figure 2: Changes in the number of start-up companies related to biomanufacturing and the amount of funding raised (2013-2022) Figure 3 shows the number of startup companies established by country. The United States stands out, followed by the United Kingdom and China.
[Image 4: https://prtimes.jp/i/7141/509/resize/d7141-509-6699460d3571877ebb56-3.png&s3=7141-509-fe7c00ff2f9864bb0b88d52bc6a0e4f6-2279×1385.png] Figure 3: Number of startup companies related to biomanufacturing established by country (2013-2022)
The United States is characterized by the early formation of “bioclusters,” which are regions where biotechnology-related companies and research institutes are concentrated. In Boston, Massachusetts, known as the world’s largest biocluster, bioventures such as Biogen and Genzyme were established around 1980 by researchers from the world’s leading universities such as Harvard University and MIT. Along with this, joint research between companies and universities has progressed, and investment in bioventures has expanded ahead of other regions.
In 2008, the Massachusetts government enacted the Life Sciences Act. This policy will provide $1 billion over 10 years for financing startups, developing research facilities, training human resources, and providing tax incentives, further accelerating the establishment and investment in bioventures.
The early formation of a community of universities, research institutes, biotechnology startups, and investments gives the United States an advantage in biomanufacturing, which is manufacturing technology using biotechnology. It is considered.
Below, we will introduce some of the startup companies related to biomanufacturing that received the highest amount of funding. PhaBuilder
https://eng.phabuilder.com/
Country of location/year of founding: China/2021
Cumulative funding amount: Approximately 110 million USD
Business overview: We manufacture PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) using halophilic bacteria and provide biocompatible materials, cosmetics, textiles, tableware, etc.
21st.BIO
https://21st.bio/
Country of location/year of founding: Denmark/2020
Cumulative funding amount: Approximately 97 million USD
Business overview: A platform company that provides precision fermentation technology to produce target molecules using the fermentation of microorganisms into which specific genes have been inserted, and supports the production of useful substances.
Arcaea
https://www.arcaea.com/
Country of location/Year of founding: United States/2021
Cumulative funding amount: Approximately 78 million USD
Business overview: Specializing in beauty and cosmetics, we use synthetic biology to develop new ingredients and provide skin care products such as anti-armpit agents.
Trends in grants (competitive research funds) related to “biomanufacturing” Grants (competitive research funds such as Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research) include funding for new approaches and research that have not yet resulted in publication.
Figure 4 shows the yearly trends in keywords included in the research summaries of grants related to biomanufacturing from 2013 to 2022.
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Figure 4: Annual trends in characteristic keywords included in grant documents related to biomanufacturing
In addition to technological elements that support bio-manufacturing, such as bio-foundry (culture, transportation, manufacturing, etc. technologies that improve the productivity of bio-based products), bio-based products such as bioplastics and plastic-degrading (biodegradable plastics) Technological elements related to plastics can be seen. In addition to not using fossil fuels as raw materials, plastics manufactured through bio-manufacturing are biodegradable, meaning they are broken down into carbon dioxide and water by microorganisms. With the pollution of soil and oceans caused by plastics becoming a major environmental problem, research projects related to bioplastics are likely to be actively adopted.
Also, terms with the highest growth rates include sakaiensis (Ideonella sakaiensis, a bacterium found to break down PET and store biodegradable plastic PHA in the body) and plastisphere (an
environment with plastic discarded by humans). You can see words such as “a new ecosystem that has developed in the world”, and you can see some of the manufacturing technology that uses conventional plastic as raw material, which is a cause of environmental pollution because it is not biodegradable.
Figure 5 shows trends in the top five countries with the highest number of grant projects related to biomanufacturing since 2013. However, data from China was excluded because the disclosure status varies from year to year and does not reflect the actual situation.
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Figure 5: Trends in the number of research projects related to biomanufacturing by country (2013-2022)
Figure 6 shows trends in research project allocations by country. The allocated amount is divided evenly over the project period,
distributed to each year, and the values are aggregated. For example, a three-year project costing US$30,000 would include US$10,000 in each year.
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Figure 6: Trends in research project endowments related to
biomanufacturing by country (2013-2022)
While the US ranks first in terms of number of projects, the EU ranks first in terms of research allocations. In terms of research allocations, the EU is followed by the US, which is significantly different from other countries. The EU and the United States have a background in which bioeconomy policies have been developed from an early stage.
In the EU, a policy aimed at sustainable growth and resource efficiency, “Innovation for Sustainable Growth: A Bioeconomy for Europe,” was announced in 2012. Among them, the research and development program “Horizon 2020” from 2014 to 2020 will invest approximately 4.7 billion euros (approximately 5 billion U.S. dollars) in the areas of “food security, sustainable agriculture, ocean and maritime research, and bioeconomy.” It was proposed to invest in Additionally, in March 2024, the European Commission published a policy document aimed at strengthening biotechnology and
biomanufacturing within the EU (Note 2).
Note 2: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_1570 It includes measures to promote government and private investment and to establish methods for assessing environmental impact with the aim of expanding the market for bio-based products, and investment in research and development of bio-manufacturing is expected to further expand in the future.
Meanwhile, in the United States, the Obama administration announced the National Bioeconomy Blueprint in 2012, which summarizes strategic items for realizing a bioeconomy. Investment in research and development, support for transition to the market, etc. are mentioned, indicating a positive attitude towards investment in the production of substances using biotechnology.
Additionally, in 2022, President Biden signed an executive order on promoting the domestic bioindustry (Note 3). Specific initiatives include expanding domestic biomanufacturing capacity, expanding market opportunities for bioproducts, and promoting research and
development.In the United States, investment in biomanufacturing research and development is expected to expand in the future. It is thought that it will go.
Note 3: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/09/12/executive-order-on-advancing-biotechnology-and-biomanufacturing-innovation-for-a-sustainable-safe -and-secure-american-bioeconomy/
Below are examples of grants with high allocations related to biomanufacturing. MIP: BioPolymers, Automated Cellular Infrastructure, Flow, and Integrated Chemistry: Materials Innovation Platform (BioPACIFIC MIP) Institution/Company: University of California, Santa Barbara Grant Name/Country: NSF/USA
Research period: 2020-2025
Allocation amount: Approximately 20 million USD
Overview: A project to develop a simulation platform that supports the production of polymeric materials using yeast, fungi, and bacteria. Machine learning will also be used to perform genetic design to produce polymers with desired physical properties.
Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub
Institution/Company: University of Manchester, etc.
Grant Name/Country: EPSRC/UK
Research period: 2019-2026
Allocation amount: Approximately 13 million USD
Overview: A project to develop large-scale biomanufacturing processes in fields such as fragrances, biomass-derived polymers, and
biomaterials. The aim is to utilize microbial fermentation to replace chemical manufacturing processes that use fossil fuels and precious metal catalysts.
SCALIBUR: Scalable Technologies for Bio-Urban Waste Recovery Institution/Company: ITENE research center, etc.
Grant name/country: CORDIS/EU
Research period: 2018-2022
Funding amount: Approximately 12 million USD
Overview: A project to develop manufacturing technology for
agricultural chemicals, plastics, etc. using waste biomass such as food waste as raw material using a microbial fermentation process.
Bio-manufacturing is on the verge of social implementation as investment expands While the number of biomanufacturing startups and the amount of funding they raise are on the rise, keyword analysis shows that there are fewer advanced technological elements. Although unique products have only recently appeared and are in the growth stage, it is thought that biomanufacturing has not reached the point of social
implementation.
Grants, on the other hand, identified technological elements specifically related to bioplastics. A small number of technical elements and examples related to the production of useful substances using waste materials have been confirmed, and research allocations are on the rise, and research and development at universities and research institutes continues.
The reason why government and private sector investment is being attracted to the field of biomanufacturing is the expectation that the technology will reduce dependence on fossil fuels in material production and contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society and sustainable economic growth. It is thought that there is. The EU has the highest amount of research allocations, and although it is focusing on policy, the United States has the highest number of companies. One of the strengths of the United States is that, as a result of focusing on the development of biotechnology ahead of other countries, a community in which research institutes generate startups has been created ahead of other countries.
The field of biomanufacturing is currently in the research and development stage, but it is expected that it will quickly move to the social implementation stage. At that time, there will be strong questions about whether raw materials, manufacturing processes, and final products truly contribute to reducing environmental impact. Author: Astamuse Co., Ltd. Tomoki Kanda, Master of Engineering (Engineering) Further analysis…
At Astamuse, we conduct daily analyzes not only on technologies related to “biomanufacturing” but also on various cutting-edge technologies/advanced fields, and provide them to a variety of companies and investors.
In this report, we have published some of the analysis results. Data sources used for analysis include R&D grant data from each country to grasp cutting-edge research trends from the latest government trends, startup/venture data to grasp the latest business models, and the latest trends. There is patent/paper data etc. to support it. Based on the results of these analyses, we conduct in-depth analyzes that combine bird’s-eye views and multiple perspectives from various time axes and player perspectives, thereby achieving the precision necessary to build R&D strategies, M&A strategies, and business strategies. It is possible to backcast and understand high medium- to long-term future predictions and the opportunities and threats they bring to your company.
In addition, in each area/theme, we not only analyze technology units and issues/value units, but also analyze players at the company level, and also analyze key people as innovators/Key Opinion Leaders as outputs that are more specific and easy to use in the field. It is also possible to analyze and search for (KOL) globally. If you are interested, please contact us.
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