Creation of the Synthetic Oil Yeast: A major step forward in fatty acid production
In an article published in the prestigious journal Cell, Biopetrolia-affiliated researchers were able to reprogram the yeast S. cerevisiae from traditional alcoholic fermentation to lipogenesis. In simpler terms, transform a yeast that was used for alcohol production into a yeast that produces fatty…
New synthetic biology tools by Biopetrolia and collaborators
The use of 2A “self-cleaving” peptides can greatly simplify construction of complex pathways in yeast. However, not all 2A peptides are created equal. In an article published by researchers from Biopetrolia, Chalmers University and UNSEP, detailed characterization of multiple 2A…
Third granted patent for microbial production of fatty acid-derived products
Biopetrolia has received a notice of allowance from the USPTO for a patent divisional application related to engineering hydrocarbon metabolism in yeast. The original patent, granted in 2017, claims yeast strains with modifications that allow increased production of hydrocarbons (used…
Taking a minimalist approach to fatty acid production
In an article published in PNAS, Biopetrolia-affiliated researchers generated a yeast platform strain with a simplified lipid metabolism. This strain allowed for a study of the fatty acid dynamics in lipid metabolism, which in turn enabled increased production of fatty…
Biopetrolia receives second granted patent for microbial production of fatty acid-derived products
Biopetrolia has received an intention to grant of its Wax ester patent (EP2601292B1) from the EPO. The patent claims modifications to produce fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) in fugal cells. FAEEs can be used in a variety of applications ranging…
Biopetrolia-affiliated researchers make fatty alcohol secretion possible in yeast
Biopetrolia-affiliated researchers at Chalmers reported on the engineering of yeast for production of fatty alcohols, recently published in the journal Metabolic Engineering. The production was increased through facilitating fatty alcohol secretion using heterologous transporters. Secretion of fatty acid-derived products is…
Biopetrolia co-Founder and CSO receives several awards for groundbreaking research
On last October, Jens Nielsen was awarded the prestigious ‘Eni Award’ by the Italian oil company Eni. Each year, Eni elects the best research projects related to energy efficiency, sustainability and environmental protection. This year, Jens Nielsen’s research on yeast metabolic engineering…
Biopetrolia-affiliated researchers publish a paper on production of drop-in molecules for gasoline and jet fuel in yeast
In a recent publication in the journal Metabolic Engineering, Biopetrolia-affiliated researchers at Chalmers reported on the engineering of yeast for production of medium chain aliphatic hydrocarbons. Medium chain hydrocarbons such as alkanes and alkenes are the main constituents of gasoline…
Major investment in research to make Sweden a leader in biologics
Biopetrolia is one of the industrial collaborators participating in Cell Nova, a center for development and production of next-generation biological drugs. The center has been approved for 40 MSEK funding from Vinnova in order to create next-generation cell factories for…
Production of the antiviral drug Docosanol through yeast fermentation
Chalmers and Biopetrolia researchers successfully engineered yeast cells for production of Docosanol with increased efficiency and selectivity, as reported by the paper in Nature Communications. Docosanol is a very long chain fatty alcohol mostly used as an emollient, emulsifier, and…