Again acquires Geno to combine AI-driven discovery with industrial biomanufacturing

Technology company Again has acquired industrial biotechnology company Genomatica (Geno), bringing together their capabilities in bioprocess engineering, computational biotechnology and industrial-scale manufacturing. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Again develops multi-feedstock production pathways for manufacturing industrial products from different raw materials. The acquisition extends its capabilities across the development process, from pathway discovery and molecule design to scale-up and commercial manufacturing.

A central part of the transaction is Genomatica’s AI and computational biotechnology platform, alongside its patent portfolio and data spanning experimental research, structural analysis, scale-up processes and development outcomes. Again plans to integrate these assets into its computational platform to improve its modelling capabilities and shorten the development cycle for new production pathways and products.

Genomatica has focused on developing biotechnology processes for producing chemicals and materials from renewable feedstocks, complementing Again’s work on feedstock-independent technologies and industrial scale-up. Together, the companies will have capabilities spanning pathway discovery, process development and industrial-scale production.

AI is revolutionizing biology, but algorithms are only as good as their ability to translate into real-world, commercial-scale execution. Geno pioneered AI and computational biotechnology for molecule discovery and design. By integrating that with our scale-up platform and novel feedstock technologies, we are building the world’s leading biomanufacturing platform, unlocking novel products and supply-chains that industries critically need,

said Max Kufner, CEO of Again.

The combined company plans to operate through several commercial models, including licensing its technology, co-developing production pathways with industrial partners and manufacturing products through existing and planned production assets.