bitBiome, Inc., a biotechnology company unlocking the potential of our planet's microbes to power the future of the bioeconomy, and Bluestem Biosciences, a renewable chemicals company leveraging anaerobic fermentation for the biomanufacturing of commodity chemicals, entered into a Strategic Partnership Agreement to accelerate discovery and development of enzymes for the bio-based production of key chemicals, previously synthesized from petrochemical sources.
Innovations that could redefine our approach to environmental challenges and resource utilization are key to eliminating our dependence on petroleum and foreign-based markets. The bio-based production of Bluestem's target chemicals that are ubiquitously utilized worldwide would represent a huge step forward in the realization of the bioeconomy in the Midwest United States integrating across global chemical supply chains.
"We are extremely excited to work with Bluestem Biosciences on the development of their bio-based solutions as a response to the growing need to move away from petrochemical resources. Their commitment to advancing these key products while reducing their carbon intensity and maintaining their commitment to the agricultural community of the US Midwest aligns clearly with bitBiome's core mission to shape the bioeconomy with our unique technology and products powered by microbes," stated Yuji Suzuki, CEO of bitBiome.
Bluestem Biosciences' decarbonized chemical platform will positively impact climate, rural agricultural economies, and United States' supply chains, building a bio-based chemical future, all while delivering a cost-competitive product. bitBiome will utilize their in silico modeling techniques combined with their expansive knowledge of bio- and chem-informatics to both identify key enzymes for use in Bluestem's strains, but also to modify and enhance enzymatic capabilities to drive more efficient production of their key product.
"Bluestem is encouraged to expand our relationship with bitBiome to continue bringing their world-class protein engineering and design expertise to our R&D platform. This partnership will continue to accelerate our mission at Bluestem, which is to manufacture new, sustainable, and cost competitive bio-based products," said Jared Wenger, PhD, CSO and Co-Founder of Bluestem.