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Bacchus Bio innovation Co., Ltd. contributes to solving societal issues through Smart Cell development

December 1, 2021

Bacchus Bio innovation Co., Ltd. (head office: Nada-ku, Kobe; President: Mr. Mikio Tanji. Hereinafter, "the Company"), a pioneering corporation in the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster and a bio-venture of Kobe University raised funding on November 30, 2021 through a third-party allotment of shares underwritten by Shimadzu Corporation (head office: Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture; President & Chief Executive Officer: Teruhisa Ueda) and Sojitz Corporation (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President & CEO Masayoshi Fujimoto). The Company possesses digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced bio-technologies that give them an advantage for the development of “Smart Cell (genetically altered cells)” that utilize these technologies. The Company provides Smart Cell to help solve societal issues in various fields.

“Smart Cell” are cells that have artificially modified genes for the efficient mass production of useful target substances. The fusion of “bio-technologies” such as genome editing and genome synthesis with “digital technologies” such as AI and IT makes it possible to expect improvements in productivity for substances that are conventionally difficult to mass produce, and it will lead to technological innovation in various fields such as pharmaceuticals, food, new materials, environmental, etc. By improving productivity for pharmaceuticals, biomass fuels, and food, they are expected to contribute to solving various societal issues. Additionally, the Smart Cell industry will establish sustainable manufacturing methods for substances by using “Smart Cell” with metabolic functions that are altered or enhanced through bio-technology and digital technology. Accordingly, it can be expected to solve issues in manufacturing fields.

Shimadzu Corporation signed a business partnership agreement with the Company, and they have contributed to the Smart Cell industry with analytical measuring technology such as a liquid chromatograph (LC) and a mass spectrometer (MS). For the 5 years beginning in 2016, as a project of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), the Company performed collaborative research and successfully shortened pre-processing times, improved analytical precision, etc., for the analysis of metabolites from cells. Based on this business partnership agreement, the Company and Shimadzu Corporation will proceed with collaborative research under various themes, such as “improving analytical instruments for greater throughput”, and these activities will achieve faster Smart Cell development to contribute to solving societal issues.

The Company is a bio-venture of Kobe University that brings the advanced bio-technology, knowhow, and human resources resulting from Kobe University's research into a single package, and they have become an integrated Bio-Foundry that provides contract development services for the production of useful substances from microbes, etc., and that develops its own products. Based on the technology cultivated through NEDO projects, etc., Professor Akihiko Kondo, Vice President of Kobe University and Dean of the School of Science, Technology and Innovation (Director at the Company) and Professor Tomohisa Hasunuma, Director of the Engineering Biology Research Center, Kobe University (Technical Advisor at the Company) are engaged in development of services to create Smart Cell according to customer needs.

About

Company name: Bacchus Bio innovation Co., Ltd.
Business:  Integrated Bio-Foundry
Head office:  1-1 Rokkodai-cho Nada-ku, Kobe Japan
Establishment:  March 2020
Representative:  Mikio Tanji, President

About Bio-Foundry

A series of systems that efficiently develop genetically modified microorganisms using cutting-edge technologies in the field of bioengineering and produce useful substances in a sustainable manner that is different from conventional methods (See below chart). The development cycle is called "DBTL," an acronym for Design (gene design), Build (creation of engineered microbes), Test (evaluation of produced substances), and Learn (knowledge learning and prediction). By integrating biotechnology, digital technology (IT/AI), and automated robotics, the development cycle (DBTL) is rotated at a high speed, and the development of genetically modified microorganisms is carried out in a rational and efficient manner. For example, ordinary yeast produce alcohol from sugar, but by artificially modifying the genes of yeast, it is already realized to produce not alcohol but various useful substances, including raw materials for pharmaceuticals, fragrances, and chemical products.

For more information, please contact us at:
Bacchus Bio innovation Co., Ltd.
Email:info*b2i.co.jp (replace * with @)