Enzymit and Cosun Achieve World's First Pilot-Scale Cell-Free Hyaluronic Acid Production
核心洞察
Enzymit (搜索) and Cosun (搜索) successfully produced multi-kilogram quantities of high-purity hyaluronic acid at 200-liter pilot scale using an innovative enzyme-only, cell-free process.
The breakthrough technology allows manufacturers to precisely control hyaluronic acid molecular size from 10 kDa to 4 MDa using the same enzymatic process.
This advancement addresses the growing $9.4 billion global hyaluronic acid market, projected to reach $15.94 billion by 2035.
Synthetic biology company Enzymit (搜索), in partnership with agricultural cooperative Cosun (搜索), has achieved a major milestone in sustainable biomanufacturing by successfully producing multi-kilogram quantities of high-purity hyaluronic acid (HA) at pilot scale using an innovative enzyme-only, cell-free process. The 200-liter campaign demonstrated unprecedented efficiency, consistency, and control over HA molecular size, potentially revolutionizing the $9.4 billion global HA market.
Revolutionary Cell-Free Manufacturing Process
The breakthrough represents the world's first scaled cell-free production of hyaluronic acid, utilizing AI-designed enzymes to synthesize complex bioproducts without living cells. This approach offers faster, cleaner, and more efficient production compared to traditional fermentation methods.
"This isn't just a breakthrough in hyaluronic acid production - it's a glimpse into the future of how we make molecules," said Gideon Lapidoth, CEO of Enzymit (搜索). "By combining AI-designed enzymes with a robust cell-free system, we've removed biological bottlenecks and proven that precision manufacturing of biomolecules is no longer limited by what cells can or can't do."
Unprecedented Molecular Size Control
Enzymit (搜索)'s cell-free process is the first to allow manufacturers to set the size of hyaluronic acid during production. Using the same enzymatic process, the technology can produce HA in defined sizes from approximately 10 kDa to about 4 MDa with very narrow size distribution, adjusted through standard production settings rather than requiring changes to enzymes or organisms.
This level of control addresses a critical need in the hyaluronic acid industry, where molecular weight directly impacts therapeutic applications ranging from dermal fillers and wound healing to drug delivery and tissue engineering.
Market Impact and Growth Potential
Hyaluronic acid ranks among the world's most valuable biopolymers, with the global hyaluronic acid products market valued at $9.43 billion in 2025 and projected to grow to $15.94 billion by 2035. This growth underscores the urgent need for high-purity, high-performance biomaterials that the new cell-free technology aims to address.
Successful Industrial Scale-Up
The collaboration between Enzymit (搜索) and Cosun (搜索) demonstrated the successful transition from laboratory protocols to pilot-scale manufacturing using existing industrial assets. Marie Dobenesque, Chief Technology Officer at Cosun RD&I, emphasized the significance of this achievement: "We are honored to have been a part of Enzymit's journey in scaling their lab protocol to pilot scale, and very proud that process development and first-ever factory operation were successful based on our existing manufacturing assets. It's exciting to see this cell-free technology become an industrial reality within such a short amount of time."
The successful pilot campaign produced multi-kilogram quantities of high-purity HA while demonstrating superior process efficiency and product consistency compared with traditional fermentation approaches. This achievement positions the cell-free biomanufacturing platform as a viable alternative for industrial-scale biomolecule production, potentially transforming how complex bioproducts are manufactured across multiple industries.