Enzymicals and Syngulon sign a non-exclusive license agreement

Enzymicals AG, a German enterprise focusing on industrial biocatalysis and Syngulon, a Belgian synthetic biology company developing original genetic technologies using bacteriocins, announce a non-exclusive license agreement which provides Enzymicals access to Syngulon’s patented selection technology.

Syngulon’s technology expands the capacity for selection of microorganisms. Synthetic biology uses the concept of “bioengineering” to improve or modify existing genetic systems to create microbes with desired behaviors, and Syngulon uses this approach to develop its selection technology (US patent 9,333,227/10,188,114). It is based on bacteriocins, ribosomally-produced peptides naturally made by most bacteria to kill competitive microbial species. This technology offers advantageous over antibiotic selection for several reasons: it avoids the use of antibiotics in the first place, helping to reduce the spread of antibiotic resistant microbes. The technology also increases product yield; as bacteriocins are generally smaller peptides, they do not impose a heavy metabolic burden on the producing cell. They can have a wide target specificity, helping to avoid genetic drift. Finally, the system is 100% plasmid-based (e.g. without chromosomal mutations), making it applicable for use in any E. coli strains.

Enzymicals offers a broad selection of recombinant enzymes suitable for research, development, production and diagnostics as well as a tailor-made protein expression and optimization service. There is a growing interest for antibiotic-free production of enzymes coming from customers and the technology is currently applied in a first project for the production of diagnostic enzymes for a world leader that requires antibiotic-free production.

Dr. Ulf Menyes, CEO of Enzymicals AG, states “This genetic technology will make our microbial strains involved in industrial processes safer and more efficient. We are happy to now use this innovation in our own applications as well as for specific developments for our clients.”

Guy Hélin, CEO of Syngulon, added “This is the second license agreement that we announce on our technologies and we are very happy to work with Enzymicals on their project for a world leader in diagnostic enzymes”