Biotechnology/Systems biology

The construction of a demonstration plant is a decisive milestone for the bioeconomy start-up traceless materials on the way to the market launch of its innovative biomaterial. Last year, the team led by the two founders Johanna Baare and Anne Lamp received 36.6 million euros from investors and a further 5 million euros in funding from the Federal Ministry for the Environment.

Enriching the textile industry with bio-based solutions – this common strategic goal led to a collaboration between the world's first commercial supplier of biotech silk polymers from Martinsried, AMSilk, and the Zwingenberg-based biotechnology company BRAIN Biotech just over a year ago. The aim of the collaboration was to establish high-performance protein-based fibers for the textile industry.

Many building materials - whether concrete or insulating materials - are made from petroleum-based raw materials and are energy-intensive to produce. Large quantities of the climate-damaging greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) are produced, particularly during the manufacture of the binding agent cement.

The market for alternative proteins in fish products and seafood is developing dynamically. The biotech start-up Pacifico Biolabs uses fungi to produce sustainable and nutritious fish alternatives - specifically, the foodtech company relies on the thread-like network of fungi, the mycelium, to transform biomass into innovative foods. With the help of its fermentation technology, the company, which was founded in 2022, aims to produce a wholesome alternative to fish products and seafood.

Thanks to a mix of methods, a team at the Technical University of Braunschweig has succeeded for the first time in identifying individual amino acids in a peptide by analyzing the surface of the molecule under a microscope. This means that one of the basic building blocks of life can now be examined down to the nanometer.

In times of extreme climate change, plant diseases and pests are increasingly reducing yields worldwide. One of the most important food crops, wheat, is also affected. The fungal disease 'Wheat Blast' in particular has become increasingly widespread in recent years and could pose a serious threat to global wheat production. An international research team led by Munich agricultural scientist Senthold Asseng has now modeled for the first time how the devastating fungal disease will affect wheat production as a result of climate change.

Last summer, the EU Commission proposed exempting certain genome-edited plants from the scope of EU genetic engineering legislation and thus facilitating their market access. The planned relaxation only affects plants that have been developed using new genomic technologies (NGT) such as the CRISPR-Cas gene scissors and are considered equivalent to conventionally bred plants, i.e. do not contain any foreign genes. This category is called NGT-1 plants.

The market for vegetarian and vegan products is booming. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 104,300 tons of meat substitute products were produced in Germany in 2022 - an increase of around 17% compared to the previous year. So far, plant-based proteins made from wheat or pulses such as peas and soy have dominated the market for meat-free alternatives. Biotech start-up Infinite Roots, on the other hand, uses mycelia from mushrooms to produce vegan meat substitutes.