Plant Biotechnology-related Business
A Plant Biofoundry to Demonstrate Production of Highly Modified Recombinant Proteins in Plants
Chiyoda’s Initiative
The manufacture of products using plants enables production of proteins with complex structures and large molecular weights, which are challenging to produce with microorganisms, in a highly biocompatible state and free of animal-derived components. Although a large-scale production system using plants has yet to be established in Japan, the introduction into society of production processes developed with gene expression technologies, predominantly developed in academia, requires the development of a consistent production system. Chiyoda leverages its strengths of scale-up techniques and integrating diverse technologies for this purpose.
Implementing a NEDO Subsidy Project
Chiyoda was selected for New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) subsidy project, ‘Development of Biobased Production Technologies to Accelerate the Realization of Carbon Recycling’, in FY2022, and we are currently implementing the development until the end of June 2025.
Development Outline
Chiyoda is developing a production process using plants based on transient expression systems for genetic recombination technology. (Chiyoda selected a complex substance for their demonstration model, requiring post-translational intracellular modifications .)
- We constructed a pilot plant as a ‘Plant Biofoundry’ to demonstrate product production within our Koyasu Research Park at the end of FY2024.
- Chiyoda utilizes the pilot plant as a 'plant biofoundry' for substance production.
Development Structure
Chiyoda has established a joint research system with AIST Hokkaido Center, which has a track record of producing products using recombinant plants, the International Center for Biotechnology, Osaka University, which has extensive experience in introducing genes for protein glycosylation and Nippi, Inc., a leading domestic manufacturer of functional materials such as collagen and gelatin.