Weiyuan Synthetic Biotechnology

About Weiyuan Synthetic Biotechnology

Weiyuan Synthetic Biotechnology (MicroCyto) is a biomanufacturing firm established in 2021, with its headquarters in Beijing, China. The company was founded by Dr. Liu Bo, a graduate of the Institute of Microbiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who brings nearly a decade of experience in the synthetic biology field. His academic and research background, which includes participation in over ten national-level projects, has been pivotal in bridging the gap between scientific research and industrial application from the company's inception. In 2023, the team was further strengthened when Dr. Liu's former mentor, renowned scientist Professor Tao Yong, joined full-time as Chief Scientist.

The company operates on a business model centered around leveraging synthetic biology to produce a variety of compounds for diverse markets, including medicine, daily chemicals, agriculture, food, feed, and materials. By engineering microorganisms, Weiyuan Synthetic has developed a low-carbon, energy-saving, and sustainable manufacturing process. Revenue is generated through the development, manufacturing, and sale of these bio-based raw materials and solutions. The core of their operation involves creating "cell factories" by modifying microbes to efficiently produce high-value compounds from simple raw materials like glucose. This approach significantly streamlines production, increases yields, and reduces costs compared to traditional extraction or chemical synthesis methods.

Weiyuan Synthetic's product pipeline includes high-value compounds such as sugar alcohols (mannitol), rare sugars (allulose), and natural pigments like lutein and zeaxanthin. For instance, their fermentation process for producing lutein and zeaxanthin can replace the cultivation of 250 acres of marigolds with a single one-ton fermentation tank, cutting costs by more than 50%. Similarly, they have pioneered a single-step conversion process for allulose that boosts transformation efficiency to 80%. The company possesses a robust R&D platform, including a vast library of microbial strains and a multi-dimensional process for scaling up production from the lab to industrial levels. To support its growth and commercialization efforts, Weiyuan Synthetic is constructing a production and pilot-scale base in Beidaihe, Qinhuangdao, and has secured over 300 million RMB in Series A financing to facilitate the industrialization of its products.