The Science of Precision Fermentation
A Conversation with Gordana Djordjevic
Arsenale is redefining biomanufacturing by combining scientific precision, intelligent reactor design, and an end-to-end fermentation platform. Gordana Djordjevic, Arsenale’s Chief Science Officer, brings multidisciplinary life sciences expertise and strategic leadership experience is shaping the future of industrial-scale precision fermentation.
Arsenale is aiming to enable scalable biomanufacturing rather than just microbial strain engineering.
In this conversation, Gordana shares insights on:
The science behind precision fermentation
How Arsenale is bridging the gap between lab-scale R&D and industrial production
The progress made in developing the PICCOLO micro-bioreactor platform
The importance of IP protection in biomanufacturing
The future of scalable, sustainable microbial fermentation
Gordana, you have a long career in industrial biotechnology.
What motivated you to join Arsenale?
Throughout my career, I have been deeply involved in the development and manufacturing of various industrial products made through precision fermentation, working with companies like Verenium/BASF, BP, Synthetic Genomics, Zymergen, and Perfect Day. My focus has always been on translating biotechnology innovations into commercially viable solutions.
One of the biggest challenges I’ve seen in this field is the disconnect between lab-scale microbial and bioprocess development and industrial manufacturing. Many companies optimize microbes and develop fermentation processes in controlled laboratory settings, only to struggle when those encounter real-world industrial conditions during cumbersome and expensive technology transfers.
I joined Arsenale because the company is solving this issue by providing a data-rich, scalable biomanufacturing platform that brings industrial context to the lab and enables companies to move from strain and process development to large-scale production seamlessly. With new reactor designs, automation, and precision-driven scaling methods, we are bridging a critical gap in fermentation-based biomanufacturing.
What is precision fermentation, and why is scaling so difficult?
Precision fermentation uses microbes as "cellular factories" to produce high-value molecules like proteins, lipids, enzymes, and small compounds. The challenge isn’t making these molecules—it’s making them in a way that is cost-efficient, predictable, and scalable.
There are three main challenges in scaling precision fermentation:
Biology doesn’t scale linearly – What works at bench scale (50 mL – 1L) often behaves completely differently in a 50,000L bioreactor due to changes in oxygen transfer, nutrient diffusion, and microbial stress responses.
Data gaps between R&D and production – Many fermentation companies lack real-time process data, causing inefficiencies and costly trial-and-error attempts at scale-up. More so, technical teams generating data under laboratory and manufacturing settings rarely if ever have the opportunity to “cross the bridge” and learn technical and business context that drives data generation and decision making on the other side.
Engineering constraints – Most biomanufacturing infrastructure was built for pharmaceutical fermentation, where cost isn’t the primary driver. We need new, cost-effective reactor designs specifically for industrial biotech applications.
At Arsenale, we are addressing these challenges by building precision biomanufacturing from the ground up instead of retrofitting outdated platforms.
Arsenale has made significant progress in bringing its biomanufacturing platform online. What have you and your team achieved so far?
Setting up a robust biomanufacturing infrastructure is essential to making precision fermentation commercially viable. Over the past year, Arsenale has successfully established a fully operational pilot facility in Pordenone, where our PICCOLO microbioreactor batteries are now active and producing data.
Some key achievements:
PICCOLO microbioreactors and two 500L Magnum bioreactors are up and running with superior sensing capabilities, providing high-resolution, real-time fermentation data
The facility in Pordenone is fully functional, serving as our R&D and pilot-scale validation hub
We have integrated our modular and scalable Design@Scale platform for high-throughput data collection
We have advanced AI-enhanced fermentation process modeling, which allows predictive optimizations before scaling up to large bioreactors
We are refining automation workflows that make biomanufacturing more time and cost efficient and reduce manual intervention
The ability to generate reliable fermentation datasets early in process development is one of the most important breakthroughs we have accomplished. This allows us and our partners to accelerate precision fermentation scale-up while reducing costs and risks.
Scaling microbial fermentation has historically been a key bottleneck in industrial biomanufacturing. What has Arsenale achieved in making this transition more effective?
Scaling microbial fermentation successfully requires more than just strong strains—it requires early bioprocess development under a controlled, predictable, and repeatable manufacturing-like environment. Many biotech startups struggle because they try to take microbial strains, optimized for small-scale conditions, and force them into large industrial bioreactors where the operating environment is completely different.
At Arsenale, we invert this process. Instead of taking small-scale conditions and trying to scale them up, we start with industrial constraints in mind from the beginning:
PICCOLO microbioreactor batteries replicate the large-scale fermentation environment at a small scale, ensuring early predictability
Automated process feedback loops allow real-time adjustments to fermentation parameters
Computational modeling simulates industrial scenarios before running costly large-scale batches
By achieving this level of process fidelity early on, our partners can significantly reduce scale-up failures and optimize production from the start.
Can you explain how the PICCOLO reactor platform works, and why its potential is transformative?
The PICCOLO microbioreactor system is designed to transform the way biomanufacturing processes are developed and optimized. Instead of relying on small-scale bioreactors that don’t reflect real-world conditions, PICCOLO is built to mimic industrial fermentation settings in a controlled, parallelized environment.
What makes PICCOLO unique:
It operates in a modular, battery-based system, capable of running multiple fermentation conditions simultaneously
It is equipped with high-resolution sensors, capturing real-time data on microbial performance
It automates feeding strategies and environmental controls, reducing trial-and-error experiments
These features mean that by the time a bioprocess moves to full-scale manufacturing, many of the process risks have already been identified and mitigated.
Intellectual property (IP) is becoming increasingly important in precision fermentation. How does Arsenale approach IP strategy?
Intellectual property is a huge competitive differentiator in biomanufacturing. While many biotech companies focus on patenting proprietary engineered strains, the market is shifting toward protecting integrated process technologies.
Key areas where IP is critical:
Scalable hardware solutions – The PICCOLO microbioreactor design and scaling methodologies are a unique feature that separates us from traditional contract manufacturing approaches
Bioprocess design – Patents and trade secrets related to fermentation parameters, reactor configurations, and automation techniques provide strong competitive advantages
Sensor-driven optimization methods – Many companies lack real-time optimization tools; Arsenale is securing proprietary algorithms for bioprocess simulation and real-time fermentation control
By securing IP around fermentation infrastructure and process engineering, we are ensuring that Arsenale is not just another fermentation company, but a full-stack biomanufacturing technology platform.
Where is the industry headed in the next decade?
Biomanufacturing is evolving rapidly. Over the next 5–10 years, I anticipate that:
AI-powered bioreactors will become standard, adjusting fermentation conditions in real time
Digital strain optimization will reduce the need for physical testing, cutting R&D cost and timelines significantly
Decentralized biotech hubs will emerge, moving away from centralized mega-facilities
Stronger IP protection around fermentation platforms will determine who dominates the industrial bioeconomy
Arsenale is positioning itself at the forefront of this industrial shift, ensuring that the next generation of precision fermentation is faster, more scalable, and more economically viable than ever before.