Edition #1 - Welcome to the BioRevolution!

Hi, I’m James Ryall ,

Every two weeks I share news and stories about the latest innovations across the biomanufacturing value-chain. In each newsletter I share:

• A featured interview with an early stage startup using biology to tackle a global challenge
• A story focussed on a key industry highlight or challenge
• Links to some of the great biomanufacturing content I’ve been reading

My DM's are always open for feedback, comments and queries!

??? Featured Interview: Fogponics, molecular farming and my chat with the Lite&Fog crew

After 20 years in academia (working on stem cells and regenerative medicine) followed by an exhilarating four-year stint at Vow (a hypergrowth cultured meat startup), I've recently transitioned into consulting and working with startups and SMEs in the biomanufacturing space. This change has brought its share of challenges and rewards. However, the most significant reward has been the opportunity to engage with so many remarkable people who are doing incredible work.

The biomanufacturing sector, is absolutely overflowing with potential when it comes to solving some of the biggest and most challenging problems in the world today. From health, to food, to textiles, to specialty chemicals biomanufacturing has the potential to change our world (for the better). One area that has particularly piqued my interest is molecular farming—the concept of using plants to produce downstream proteins or molecules. While this idea isn’t new, the developments around it are absolutely amazing.

??Recently, I had the pleasure of discussing this topic with Uwe Peter and Martin Peter from Lite&Fog. They're pioneering the use of fogponics to enhance the efficiency and yield of molecularly farmed products. Their innovative system integrates vertical farming with a nutrient-rich fog, optimizing water and nutrient usage dramatically ???. The entire setup is monitored through a network of interconnected cameras, facilitating remote management and control. During our chat, Uwe and Martin showcased a chamber brimming with unusually large tobacco plants, commonly used as hosts for the desired proteins or molecules.

The standout feature for me was not just the system’s ability to maintain genetic containment, but its remarkable nutrient and water efficiency, coupled with a significant increase in yield—key factors in any biomanufacturing process aimed at reducing costs and enhancing output. These properties make the Lite&Fog system very attractive for molecular farming companies seeking to maximize biomass, often in small contained spaces.

The team has recently updated their website and it looks absolutely fantastic - you can check it out here: https://www.liteandfog.com/

?? Story highlight:???? Unlocking Potential - Exosomes & Biomanufacturing

The commercial scale production of cells and cell based products will lead to an intriguing by-product: spent media. This medium, though (somewhat) nutrient-depleted and filled with waste, harbors a treasure trove of extracellular vesicles known as exosomes. Packed with proteins, lipids, and RNA, these tiny powerhouses have vast potential in a myriad of applications, including the therapeutic and broader biomanufacturing spaces ????.

Therein lies several intriguing opportunities:

1. ??Exosome Research: Partnering with biomanufacturing companies offers academic (and industry) researchers an invaluable chance to access a consistent and large-scale source of spent media. With many biomanufacturing facilities generating tens to thousands of liters of spent media daily, encompassing a variety of cell types (muscle, fibroblast, fat, and endothelial) from multiple species, the potential for groundbreaking work is immense.
2. ??Valorization: Biomanufacturing companies who can develop efficient methods for the purification and storage of exosomes have an incredible opportunity to sell their exosomes (loaded with RNA, proteins, lipids and metabolites) to third parties. The cosmetics industry has already shown significant interest in this area.
3. ??Recycling: isolation of exosomes could transform your waste stream into an essential media ingredient, boosting efficiency significantly. Moreover, exosomes' versatility in encapsulating diverse particles presents an exciting avenue for advancing tissue engineering strategies that are critical for downstream processing.

If you are interested in learning more about which companies are working in the exosome space, I can highly recommend this article on The Bioinformant website https://bioinformant.com/exosomes/

?? Things I’m reading this week

• https://www.synbiobeta.com/read/synthetic-biology-and-materials-science-working-together-to-redefine-entire-industries

I'm genuinely excited about the possibilities of biomanufacturing, beyond revolutionizing our food systems ??. In this article Katia Tarasava, PhD does a deep dive into companies who are increasingly leveraging synthetic biology and large-scale biomanufacturing to craft innovative products across textiles, food, cosmetics, and chemicals. The growing demand for bio-based alternatives across a wide product range promises a market expansion, contingent on navigating the challenges of production scale and cost efficiently ??.

My favorites include bio-manufactured honey, coffee, and chocolate, but micro-algae skis remain a standout innovation!

• https://www.levervc.com/insights/

This is a collection of white papers and research reviews put together by the team at Lever VC. I imagine there is something for everyone on the page, but the “Cultivated meat scientific benchmarks” article is a must read for anyone working in the cultured meat space. The inclusion of targets for cost of media, cell density and scale-up are particularly relevant.

If you enjoyed the above, then check out my website (jamesryall.com) which contains my blog and several B2B company databases designed to help those working in the broad biomanufacturing space.

Until next week.

James