Cambrium Files IPO Prospectus Following Breakthrough in AI-Driven Micro-Molecular Collagen Commercialization

In 2021, Academician Zhao Guoping of the Chinese Academy of Sciences publicly stated that the goal for the next phase of synthetic biology is to “build models and design syntheses based on a ‘true understanding’ of life processes, thereby improving the efficiency of achieving desired outcomes.”

The “model-building” phase naturally sparks broad speculation about deep integration with AI technologies. AI has already demonstrated its advantages in the pharmaceutical industry; can this powerful technological engine likewise drive innovation in synthetic biology?Innovative biomanufacturing company Cambrium has provided its own answer. It is a company that drives product innovation and creates new sustainable, high-performance molecules by combining biology with machine learning.

It is understood that, leveraging highly data-driven and automated methods, Cambrium achieved the commercialization of its first molecule in less than two years—launching its inaugural molecular ingredient, NovaColl™ (INCI: Sh-Polypeptide-47), at the in-cosmetics Global exhibition in 2023.According to Cambrium’s official statement, NovaColl™ is designed for efficient skincare and is currently the only micro-molecular collagen on the market that is 100% identical to human skin collagen.。

In the journey to explore the mysteries of nature and drive technological innovation, Cambrium is ushering in a new era of convergence between synthetic biology and AI. “We founded Cambrium to accelerate nature’s historical innovation cycle and discover new molecules that can rapidly generate substantial impact,” said Mitchell Duffy, CEO of Cambrium. “By leveraging our technology platform, we combine cutting-edge biological exploration with efficient machine learning algorithms to drive product innovation and create novel, sustainable, high-performance molecules, thereby transforming the current paradigm dominated by toxic petrochemicals and unethical animal-derived ingredients in the vast majority of consumer products.”

By integrating cutting-edge technologies in artificial intelligence, automation, and synthetic biology, the Cambrium team is confident in its ability to accelerate nature’s lengthy innovation process and uncover novel molecules capable of driving rapid, substantive change. These molecules not only outperform traditional materials in terms of performance but also set new benchmarks for environmental friendliness and sustainability.

Therefore, at the technical level, Cambrium has adopted a rigorous and scientific R&D process.First, we meticulously design molecular structures based on amino acids, the fundamental building blocks of life. Next, we employ advanced screening methods to identify candidate molecules that exhibit both superior functionality and expression characteristics. Then, leveraging engineered yeast strains as nature’s microscopic factories, we bring these molecules from theory to reality through sustainable fermentation processes. Finally, rigorous separation and purification steps ensure that every molecule meets the most stringent performance standards required by our customers.

This closed-loop process has not only accelerated the R&D cycle for new products but also significantly enhanced their market adaptability and competitiveness: within less than two years of its establishment, the company launched NovaColl™, the only 100% skin-identical low-molecular-weight collagen available on the market.

On October 31, 2023, Cambrium announced that it had secured €8 million in seed funding, led by Essential Capital, with participation from SNR, Valor Equity Partners, and HOF Capital. The proceeds will be used to translate the early success of its flagship product, NovaColl™, into lasting impact, steering Cambrium’s production and commercial activities toward the comprehensive replacement of traditional animal-derived collagen.

“The convergence of synthetic biology and artificial intelligence is rewriting the script for molecular innovation,” said Ron Zori of Essential Capital, the lead investor in this funding round. “Cambrium is spearheading this broader transformation, reshaping the bedrock of industry one molecule at a time. We believe their computational biology platform, as demonstrated by the rapid development and launch of NovaColl™, has the capacity to consistently translate scientific breakthroughs into high-performance, sustainable molecules.”

To date, Cambrium has raised a total of €11 million in funding, including early investment from Merantix. Notably, eight months prior to announcing this financing round, Cambrium had already successfully launched its revolutionary product, NovaColl™. This micro-molecular collagen, specifically designed for high-efficiency skincare, is not only the only product on the market that is 100% identical to human skin collagen, but also achieves unprecedented skin penetration and biocompatibility thanks to its unique micro-molecular structure.

As the most abundant protein in the human body, collagen is closely linked to signs of skin aging as its levels decline. However, traditional collagen supplements are predominantly derived from animal sources, particularly bovine, which account for more than one-third of the market share. Moreover, natural collagen molecules are too large to penetrate the skin, hindering their efficacy.

To address these issues,, Cambrium’s R&D team spent 18 months scanning billions of naturally occurring collagen sequences to identify molecules with superior efficacy and biocompatibility, isolating the protein regions that contribute most significantly to these properties. Ultimately, NovaColl™ was discovered, which is the highly bioactive region of Type I collagen, the most common type of collagen in human skin, making it well-suited for personal care applications.

In terms of skin density, in vitro studies have demonstrated that this ingredient protects native collagen from UV-induced oxidative stress by signaling the transcription of the gene encoding heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), an enzyme that synthesizes antioxidants. Ex vivo birefringence analysis revealed that this effect significantly prevents degradation of the collagen matrix and enhances its density.

In terms of skin care, in vitro experimental results indicate that NovaColl™ can reduce the expression of the MMP-1 encoding gene in skin cells. Ex vivo immunofluorescence further demonstrates that this ingredient reduces MMP-1 levels in skin tissue exposed to UVA radiation.

Finally, NovaColl™ was shown in in vitro assays (immunofluorescence) to stimulate the production of collagen I, thereby enabling collagenase-treated (i.e., aged) skin explants to synthesize collagen I. The effects were already pronounced after three days of use.

Mitchell Duffy, CEO of Cambrium, stated, “NovaColl™ is not only a major breakthrough in the field of collagen but also a significant step in demonstrating the power of molecular innovation to broader industries. We believe this novel collagen active ingredient will have a profound impact on the entire skincare and personal care industry, driving it toward a greener, more efficient, and sustainable future.”

In April 2023, Cambrium and Ginkgo Bioworks announced the successful completion of their collaboration. It is understood that Ginkgo Bioworks is building a leading cell programming and biosecurity platform, whose technology stack can help accelerate development, optimize performance, and reduce costs in fields such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, industry, and ingredients.

Under the collaborative framework, both parties jointly developed an innovative screening mechanism that leverages the ability of bacterial colonies to secrete specific proteins for efficient degradation testing of target substrates within nanoreactors. It is reported thatThis nanoliter reactor screening platform, with its astonishing daily throughput of up to 1 million colonies, greatly accelerates the screening and optimization of microbes for protein production.

In fact, as early as 2021, Cambrium partnered with FGen, a subsidiary of Ginkgo. FGen, currently serving as Ginkgo’s encapsulation and screening team, brings extensive expertise in microbial strain development and ultra-high-throughput screening (uHTS) technologies. This complements Cambrium’s advanced Cloud Protein AI platform, enabling efficient screening of vast cell sample libraries and optimization of protein production.

Through this collaborative mechanism,Scientists are able to seamlessly integrate vast amounts of experimental data into computer models to generate precise strain optimization strategies, thereby accelerating the R&D cycle for high-performance protein production.Furthermore, the collaboration has facilitated the discovery of novel cell lines capable of producing high-value proteins with unprecedented efficiency. Moreover, through this partnership, the team identified non-intuitive engineering targets during their exploratory research. By implementing precise interventions, they achieved significant enhancements in strain performance, witnessing substantial improvements in key performance indicators across iterative fermentation cycles, even under conditions of limited genomic editing.

It can be said that, with these collaborations and on the basis of richer data, Cambrium has been able to develop more efficient and cost-effective biomanufacturing methods. Dr. Charlie Cotton, Chief Scientific Officer at Cambrium, also stated: “Close collaboration with FGen and Ginkgo Bioworks is an essential pathway for our artificial intelligence algorithms to access abundant data, deepen learning, and generate tangible value. By fully leveraging each party’s strengths, we have gained valuable and profound insights into strain engineering and product optimization, laying a solid foundation for the future development of the biomanufacturing industry.”

In China, Zhiyu Biotech, founded in 2021, has also embarked on the “AI + Protein” technological path. As a company that fully integrates “AI + Synthetic Biology” across its entire value chain, Zhiyu Biotech’s self-developed AI computing platform, “ZCloud,” has not only significantly improved the efficiency of component mining and design but also shortened the R&D cycle of synthetic biology pipelines to approximately one-third of the original duration, directly reducing R&D costs by one to two orders of magnitude. In the field of synthetic biology, artificial intelligence has already assumed the role of driving cost reduction and efficiency enhancement for enterprises. The unique characteristics and vast potential of AI-driven synthetic biology companies such as Cathay Biotech, Bakui Rui Biotech, and Xinbeilai Biotech have been vividly demonstrated.