Lesaffre , a major global player in fermentation for nearly 170 years, today announces the acquisition of Recombia Biosciences , a San Francisco Bay Area -based biotechnology company , in 2019 based on atechnology licensedfrom Stanford University . This acquisition is the culmination of a strategic partnership that will begin in 2020 was initiated to leverage Recombia Biosciences’ genome editing technologies to accelerate the development of yeasts for the sustainable production of fermented ingredients. The partnership marks Lesaffre’s entry into the world of synthetic biology, recognized as one of the greatest biotechnology opportunities of this decade.
Over the past two years, Recombia and Lesaffre have joined forces to design and develop new innovative yeast strains and optimize the production of various bio-based ingredients and biofuels.
Recombia Biosciences will be docked to the Lesaffre Bioengineering Center of Excellence, a key division of the Lesaffre Institute of Science and Technology, the company’s R&D unit, made up of nearly 200 highly dedicated international researchers.
For Lesaffre, the acquisition of Recombia Biosciences is part of a comprehensive strategy aimed at investing heavily in research and development to unlock the full potential of microorganisms such as yeast or beneficial bacteria.
“With the acquisition of Recombia Biosciences, we enrich the group’s portfolio of leading-edge technologies to accelerate innovation in yeast development and production, and we surround ourselves with new talent that we warmly welcome. Innovation is in our blood. This acquisition is a perfect example of Lesaffre’s mission: we work together to better feed and protect our planet,”
Brice-Audren Riche, CEO of Lesaffre
Recombia Biosciences will retain its name and continue to grow dynamically from its Brisbane , California location. During this phase, Recombia Biosciences’ primary mission will be to deploy its high-throughput genome editing and synthetic biology technologies to the benefit of Lesaffre’s various businesses. The future direction of Recombia’s science and technology programs will be jointly determined by a dedicated Lesaffre-Recombia committee chaired by Recombia co-founder Lars Steinmetz .
Founded by Justin Smith , Bob St. Onge , and Lars Steinmetz , Recombia Biosciences has licensed its core technologies from Stanford University . These technologies are unique and based on techniques that increase the efficiency of genome editing and enable very high throughput strain engineering.
