Lesaffre has announced the acquisition of Recombia Biosciences, a biotechnology company based in the US and founded in 2019. The acquisition is part of a strategic partnership in 2020 to leverage Recombia Biosciences’ genome-editing technologies and accelerate the development of yeasts for the sustainable production of fermented ingredients.
In the last two years, Lesaffre and Recombia have collaborated to design and develop new innovative yeast strains and optimise the production of several biosourced ingredients and biofuels.
For Lesaffre, the acquisition is part of its strategy to invest in research and development to unlock the full potential of microorganisms such as yeast or beneficial bacteria.
“With the acquisition of Recombia Biosciences, we are enriching the group’s portfolio of cutting-edge technologies to accelerate innovation in yeast development and production,” explained Brice-Audren Riché, CEO of Lesaffre. “Innovation is part of Lesaffre’s DNA. This acquisition is a perfect illustration of Lesaffre’s mission: working together to better nourish and protect the planet.”
Recombia Biosciences will keep its name and continue to grow at its location in Brisbane, California. Its main aim will be to utilise its genome editing and synthetic biology technologies to benefit Lesaffre. The direction of the company’s scientific and technology programs will be jointly defined by a Lesaffre-Recombia board chaired by Recombia Co-Founder Lars Steinmetz.
“We are extremely happy to welcome by our side, highly recognized scientists in the world of high-throughput genome editing and synthetic biology,” commented Christine M’Rini Puel, Chief R&D Officer at Lesaffre. “We are convinced that the collective brain intelligence it will bring will catalyze cutting-edge prospects, particularly in the areas of Health and Environmental protection.”
Recombia Biosceinces, which was founded by Justin Smith, Bob St. Onge and Lars Steinmetz, licensed its core technologies from Stanford University. The technologies are based on technologies that increase the efficiency of genome editing and enable high-throughput strain engineering.
“This acquisition represents a cornerstone on our joint mission to generate the world’s most advanced microorganisms for industrial manufacturing … Having collaborated with Lesaffre for over 10 years, I am particularly proud of this accomplishment, and I am excited about the opportunities that advanced genome engineering affords in biotechnology,” concluded Lars Steinmetz, PhD, Recombia’s Chairman of the Board.
