Cocoon Bioscience, a biotechnology company backed by Columbus Venture Partners specializing in the manufacture of recombinant proteins, has inaugurated the world’s first plant at the Bizkaia Technology Park in Derio today, built upon innovation that merges science with nature.
Founded in September 2022, the company has scaled a uniqu technology: an automated platform that utilizes insects in their chrysalis stage as high-efficiency, low-cost natural bioreactors. This method is more natural, scalable, and accessible compared to the traditional fermentation method using bacteria, which relies on stainless steel bioreactors.
This is a significant milestone not only at the technical level but also at a social scale, as Cocoon Bioscience’s recombinant proteins are an efficient and economically viable alternative for supplying reagents to the emerging industries of mRNA therapies and vaccines, gene sequencing, and cultivated meat.
Both mRNA vaccines and therapies, as well as cultivated meat, share the high costs of raw materials, which limits the use and adoption of these technologies.
In terms of healthcare, Cocoon Bioscience aims to democratize access to this type of therapy by reducing the costs related to raw materials by up to 90%, thereby enabling access for developing countries facing infectious diseases that undermine their populations.
Cultivated meat, on the other hand, is a sustainable alternative for the future of global food supply. It is estimated that by 2075, there will be 9 billion people on the planet, making traditional food production unsustainable. Additionally, current livestock production significantly contributes to global warming due to methane generated by animals. Cultivated meat offers a sustainable solution and could eliminate diseases related to the consumption of animal-derived meat.
A natural, efficient, and accessible alternative
The Crisbio® technology is based on inoculating a pupae with a baculovirus, which acts like a Trojan horse, introducing the desired genetic sequence into the insect’s cells. This baculovirus is harmless to mammals and enables the pupae to naturally produce the desired recombinant protein in just three to six days.
To manufacture the recombinant proteins that are crucial for addressing current societal challenges, Cocoon Bioscience uses pupae of Trichoplusia ni. Cocoon Bioscience’s insect breeding facility, managed by a team of expert entomologists, is designed to be part of an efficient and robust production platform.
Cocoon Bioscience’s CEO, Josh Robinson explained at the official inauguration today that “the Crisbio® technology allows us to produce these recombinant proteins on a more natural, faster, and thus more accessible scale. This represents a tremendous advancement for the biopharmaceutical and food industries.”
Additionally, Romy M. Dalton, COO of Cocoon Bioscience, noted that “after years of research and work, seeing that we have been able to scale this up signifies a major achievement in terms of production, and therefore for society, excites us and motivates us even more to continue growing.”
Elixabete Etxanobe, the General Deputy of Bizkaia, who also attended the inaugural event of the plant, explained that ‘With this investment we reinforce the development of biotechnology in Bizkaia, a sector considered strategic for the region. This milestone is an example of how we continue to attract investment and talent, generating quality employment and strengthening our position as a benchmark in innovation and sustainability. Cocoon contributes to the development of Bizkaia towards a more advanced and diversified economy’.
The mayoress of Derio, Esther Apraiz, highlighted ‘the culture of collaboration that exists in the Basque Country between public administration and private enterprise, which is key to the economic development of the autonomous region and society’.
Javier Garcia, one of the investors in the project, commented that ‘the innovative ecosystem of the Basque Country is consolidated with the opening of the Cocoon manufacturing plant. It incorporates a disruptive approach, which takes the advances of science and unites them with the power of nature. It is a unique production system in the world that, in addition to being more efficient, is a differential for advancing sustainability in areas as important as health and food’.
Jaione Ganzarain, Deputy Minister of Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation and Ainara Basurko, Provincial Councillor of the Department of Economic Promotion also attended the opening ceremony, along with dozens of Basque business representatives who wanted to be present at what is already a milestone for society on a global scale and reinforces the position of the Basque Country as a global biotechnology hub.
About Cocoon Bioscience
Cocoon Bioscience is a biotechnology company based in Bizkaia that specializes in the production of recombinant proteins such as high-performance growth factors and enzymes. Its unique technology, Crisbio®, is an automated platform that uses insects in their pupal state as high-efficiency natural bioreactors. This method is more natural, scalable, and accessible compared to the traditional fermentation method using conventional stainless-steel bioreactors
Source: www.cocoon.com
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