Toyobo Co., Ltd. and DMC Biotechnologies, Inc. have entered into a multi-year collaboration agreement to develop sustainable, fermentation-produced chemical intermediates for use in essential materials. The partnership leverages DMC's precision fermentation expertise alongside Toyobo's extensive chemical and biotechnology process knowledge to create bio-based alternatives to conventional chemical manufacturing.
Strategic Partnership for Sustainable Manufacturing
The collaboration brings together complementary capabilities to accelerate the development and commercialization of bio-based chemical products. DMC will utilize its proprietary Dynamic Metabolic Control™ technology and metabolic engineering expertise to enable cost-advantaged, efficient, scalable and robust fermentation processes. Toyobo will leverage its extensive expertise in both chemical synthesis and biotechnology, along with its deep industry knowledge, to bring these innovative products to market.
"Toyobo is dedicated to driving innovations in sustainable materials and production," said Iizuka Norio, Executive Officer, Sustainability and Corporate Planning Division at Toyobo. "By integrating Toyobo's chemical synthesis and biotechnology expertise with DMC's advanced biotechnology platform, we aspire to create new opportunities for sustainable chemical products that meet global market demands."
Addressing Biomanufacturing Cost Challenges
Biomanufacturing represents an innovative technology that utilizes genetic techniques to produce valuable target substances from microorganisms, as well as animal and plant cells. Unlike conventional chemical manufacturing processes that rely on fossil sources, biomanufacturing does not require multiple-stage chemical reactions and allows production under more natural and mild conditions. These characteristics contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the use of fossil resources as raw materials.
However, biomanufacturing faces the challenge of higher production costs compared to conventional chemical processes, necessitating the development of technologies to enable more efficient production. The two companies plan to optimize the growth and production stages of microorganisms by using DMC's Dynamic Metabolic Control™, a genetic technology involving the control of metabolic pathways and a precision fermentation process enabling the delivery of scalable bioprocesses.
Commercial Applications and Market Strategy
Toyobo plans to utilize optimized microorganisms designed by DMC as well as its unique fermentation and production optimization technologies with the goal of mass-producing essential compounds for sale. The company will also explore using the essential compounds, derived from eco-friendly biomass, as raw materials for its films and other plastic products.
Essential chemical compounds that function as intermediates or raw materials for plastics and other substances can be utilized in a diverse range of applications, raising hopes of achieving significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Biodegradable plastics, biofuels and biosurfactants are among the useful substances produced in biomanufacturing.
Long-term Sustainability Vision
This collaboration aligns with Toyobo's long-term vision, "Sustainable Vision 2030," which sets a goal of contributing to the realization of a "decarbonized and circular society." In the field of biomanufacturing, Toyobo is already developing the production process for mannosyl erythritol lipid, a surfactant naturally derived with the use of microorganisms, and is expanding its use to new applications. This biomanufacturing project is backed by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).
"We are excited to partner with Toyobo, a company with a long history of leadership in chemical innovation," said Jim Flatt, CEO of DMC Biotechnologies. "This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to delivering sustainable, cost-effective solutions to the chemical industry. It also highlights how established industry leaders and innovative technology companies can come together to meet the moment—advancing more sustainable and secure supply chains for essential chemical products."
The partnership builds on an existing relationship, as Toyobo directly provided investment funding to DMC in March 2022 and has since collaborated with the startup on projects aimed at promoting biomanufacturing. Toyobo is committed to advancing a sustainable society by accelerating the commercialization of essential compounds in partnership with DMC and facilitating their use to reduce environmental impacts in manufacturing.
