{"id":6585,"date":"2020-08-24T14:46:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-24T13:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=6585"},"modified":"2020-08-26T13:52:36","modified_gmt":"2020-08-26T12:52:36","slug":"digital-biology-bio-manufactured-protein-based-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/digital-biology-bio-manufactured-protein-based-products\/6585\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital biology: bio-manufactured protein-based products"},"content":{"rendered":"

More data-driven approaches, an integrated Pre-Pilot Plant facility, and a Biofoundry are some of the key drivers in the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability\u2019s vision of developing efficient bio-manufacturing methods for chemical compounds and protein-based products.<\/h2>\n

Over the next five years, Denmark\u2019s largest foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation<\/a>, will allocate a total of \u20ac100m to the DTU Biosustain research centre, for which the foundation also provided the economic framework when the centre was established in 2011. In line with the Technical University of Denmark\u2019s 2020-2025 strategy, the centre focuses on developing technology for people and works strategically towards the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).<\/p>\n

The additional funding will ensure that the centre can continue its research activities and become a world leader in generating knowledge and technologies for the sustainable production of biochemicals<\/a> and green consumer products. By mastering the design and manufacturing of cell factories, it also provides an important framework for venturing into new scientific areas like computer aided design and genome scale learning.<\/p>\n

One of those new areas will be to establish a data infrastructure, a so-called \u2018Biofoundry\u2019, to manage and analyse large datasets. This is something that has become crucial given the latest technological developments within genome-scale analysis and advanced robot technologies. Because new technologies have been a game-changer when it comes to generating large amounts of data, the need for a strong infrastructure is in high demand to spearhead the development of new cell factories with the help of Big Data.<\/p>\n

The focus at university-level on more data-driven approaches proves that Big Data has not only become a focal point in large technological companies, but that it has also caught the attention of scientists as a tool to develop smarter and greener products.<\/p>\n

While it is still a relatively new research area, The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability has already been on quite a journey since its establishment in 2011, and today the centre employs more than 300 people, coming from all over the world. International competition to recruit the greatest talents is fierce. However, with the latest grant from The Novo Nordisk Foundation, the centre is able to offer a world-class research environment for science, innovation, and entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n

\"bio-manufactured<\/a><\/p>\n

Focus on spinouts and international partners<\/h3>\n

The centre does not expect to drive the development on its own, and future success will depend on an expansion of international collaboration with other research centres. Furthermore, while the centre has already significantly increased its collaboration with industrial partners, it is still on the look out for new collaboration agreements to ensure that scientific work can be translated into new products for the benefit of society.<\/p>\n

Dr Bernhard Palsson, Chief Executive Officer at The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, said: \u201cWe have already established 27 spinout companies, and we will continue to create others, strengthening Danish society and creating new and greener workplaces. The research conducted at the centre will give Danish industry easier access to ground-breaking science in the fields of industrial biotechnology and bio-industrial production, which are traditional areas of strengths for Denmark. This could lead to an increase in the number of export ventures and workplaces in Denmark.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some examples of spinouts springing from DTU Biosustain in the past include:<\/p>\n