Biomia published the first-in-class whole-cell manufacturing of the natural plant-derived cancer chemotherapeutic agent vinblastine (Velban™) in the journal Nature exemplifying the longest ever engineered whole-cell assembly line. The vinblastine molecule was made utilizing Biomia’s proprietary state-of-the-art platform technology and holds promise for the development of many more natural and halogenated new-to-nature small-molecule therapeutics.
Biomia is a synthetic biology company developing a pipeline of plant-inspired natural and new-to-nature halogenated small molecule drug candidates (Monoterpene Indole Alkaloids (MIAs)) for unmet medical needs in pain, mental health disorders, and addiction. Biomia is a spin-out from the Technical University of Denmark and activities have been funded by Novo Nordisk Foundation, European Union, and BioInnovation Institute.
Biomia’s unique ability to design and integrate halogenation into the design of the compounds as well as in the state-of-the-art manufacturing platform is expected to generate substantially improved drug candidates with optimized ADME properties and tox profiles, and Biomia aims to develop an internal pipeline MIA drug candidates with well-established links between the MIA targets and the diseases as well as leveraging its platform and discovery engine through partnerships.
Biomia was founded in 2022 by scientists Jie Zhang, Michael K. Jensen, and Jay D. Keasling and biotech entrepreneurs Sebastian Søderberg and Henrik Stage.
