Copenhagen-based biomanufacturing company Again has acquired US industrial biotechnology company Genomatica (Geno), bringing together Geno’s computational biology and bioprocess engineering capabilities with Again’s work on scaling biological production processes. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Geno has developed biological processes for producing chemicals and materials and has built a portfolio of more than 1,100 patents and two decades of proprietary data. Again uses AI, computational modelling and engineering to develop and scale biomanufacturing processes using different feedstocks. As part of the deal, Geno’s technology, intellectual property and commercial operations will be integrated into Again, giving the company capabilities spanning pathway discovery, biological design, process development and industrial-scale production. Existing Geno partners will continue to be supported during the transition. The acquisition also comes as governments in the US and Europe seek to expand domestic biomanufacturing capacity and reduce reliance on international supply chains.
Again is a Copenhagen-based technology company focused on biomanufacturing. It uses computational modelling, AI and engineering to develop and scale biological processes for producing chemicals and materials from different feedstocks. The company operates across industrial, personal and home care, food and feed markets, with operations in Copenhagen, Munich and Houston.
Max Kufner, CEO of Again, said: “AI is revolutionizing biology, but algorithms are only as good as their ability to translate into real-world, commercial-scale execution. Geno pioneered AI and computational biotechnology for molecule discovery and design. By integrating that with our scale-up platform and novel feedstock technologies, we are building the world’s leading biomanufacturing platform, unlocking novel products and supply-chains that industries critically need.”
Genomatica (Geno) is a San Diego-based industrial biotechnology company founded in 1998. It develops biological processes for producing chemicals and materials and has worked with manufacturers and consumer goods companies on commercial-scale applications. The company has built a portfolio of patents and proprietary data covering bioprocess engineering, pathway design and biological production.
The acquisition brings together Geno’s computational capabilities in molecule discovery and design with Again’s AI-driven bioprocess design and scale-up technologies. Geno contributes more than two decades of experience in in-silico pathway and strain design, as well as predictive machine-learning analytics, while Again adds modelling, engineering and industrial execution capabilities. The combined platform is intended to cover the process from biological pathway design through to commercial-scale production.
Rather than focusing only on simulation and discovery, the combined companies will also work across the scale-up stage of biomanufacturing. Again’s engineering and process development capabilities will be integrated with Geno’s computational technology, with the aim of supporting the development and deployment of production processes across different feedstock sources.
The acquisition comes as the US seeks to expand domestic biomanufacturing capacity and strengthen supply-chain resilience. The BIOSECURE Act and a federal commitment of up to $15 billion for domestic bio-infrastructure are part of a broader push to increase investment in US biotechnology and reduce dependence on overseas production.
For years, Again has been building toward a single vision: designing feedstock independent, efficient and reliable pathways to make the products the world depends on. The acquisition of Geno accelerates that vision bringing capabilities that will immediately turbocharge Again’s commercial & technical offerings for its array of global customers.
At the core of the deal is data. Again is acquiring Geno’s entire AI and computational biotech platform, including an unmatched patent portfolio and data spanning experimental results, structural and scale-up insights, and development outcomes. That data flows directly into Again’s computational engines, sharpening the accuracy of its models and compressing the time from idea to market for new products. More and better data makes the platform smarter, and the smarter platform will move even faster.
The combined company now operates across the full arc of production, from pathway discovery to industrial-scale manufacturing. Commercially, that gives Again a diversified model with three ways to create value: licensing technology where it scales, co-developing production pathways where they are mission-critical and selling products from existing & upcoming assets, thus building a business that captures value at every stage.
Read the orginal article: https://arcticstartup.com/again-acquires-geno/
