WIRED Italia: How Arsenale Bioyards aims to transform biomanufacturing in Italy
The Pordenone-based startup is accelerating its growth thanks to a multi-million euro capital increase. It now plans to connect with Veneto universities and industries.
©WIRED Italia / How Arsenale Bioyards is developing new technologies and aiming to transform biomanufacturing in Italy
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Two years into its lifespan, with a €10 million capital increase last February, the startup Arsenale Bioyards has begun planning an ambitious program. The goal is to find synergies with universities and industry to expand this futuristic project, selecting new locations in the northeast and abroad. Venice which would have great international appeal, is also being considered , but Pordenone remains central. In the vision of Massimo Portincaso, the startup's founder, this could be the beginning of a biomanufacturing district, the first in Italy .
We're talking about the possibility of using microorganisms such as yeast, bacteria, algae, and fungi to produce molecules that offer bio-based alternatives to the performance of petrochemical and animal-based products. Precision fermentation can lead to the production of insulin by creating bioidentical molecules : the difference is that with this new process, the final product would cost up to 90% less than chemical or animal-based alternatives.
According to Arsenale Bioyards, these industrial-scale solutions will lead to the creation of a market that doesn't yet exist. " Biomanufacturing ," explains Portincaso, " is based on two intuitions: the first is the idea of transforming nature into an industrial platform . We want to achieve this with precision fermentation; Arsenale works on the genetic code of organisms to express specific molecules. The second is to invert the system that exists in the pharmaceutical industry, where biology is separated from industry; we aim to place the laboratory within industry ."
Advanced biotechnologies for industrial production
Supporting these plans is the report, " Harnessing the Economic and Environmental Benefits of Advanced Biotechnology," developed by the Advanced Biotech for Sustainability coalition, which Arsenale is a member of along with 11 other founding members. The report states that advanced biotechnology has the potential to reduce global emissions by 5% and generate annual economic value of $1 trillion , approximately the size of Switzerland's economy.
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