Amyris Scales up Cannabinoid Process
Synthetic biotech company Amyris said it has successfully scaled up commercial production of cannabigerol (CBG) through leveraging its industrial fermentation process capability. The precursor from which all other cannabinoids are synthesized, CBG is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that is said to present significant therapeutic potential.
Amyris expects to deliver about 1 t/y of high-purity CBG through fermentation as an alternative to the traditional production method of extraction from the cannabis plant. It added that its fermentation process is well-positioned to result in the lowest-cost CBG with higher purity (no tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis), which is expected to unlock CBG's adoption.
The company said it expects to receive revenues this year from selling the molecule as an ingredient in applications that do not form part of its current collaborations.
According to Amyris, early testing on skin models demonstrates advantaged performance of CBG for various topical indications over cannabidol (CBD) – another cannabinoid that has shown promise as a therapy for a wide variety of medical conditions.
Combining CBG with its sugar cane-based squalene provides some of the highest efficacy results for topical applications, the Emeryville, California-based firm said, that noting that early studies have indicated CBG’s potential to deliver better efficacy than CBD in about one-third of current CBD topical applications.
“Amyris's biotechnology platform continues to demonstrate its capability to engineer yeast to create and produce differentiated high value products. This molecule was developed from initial target to full scale production in less than nine months,” chief operating officer Eduardo Alvarez explained.
President and CEO John Melo added that the company is “very excited” about the disruptive nature of this molecule for potential skin care applications. “This is the tenth product we deliver at scale through our fermentation platform and reaffirms the continued expansion of our portfolio and our growth ambition to provide sustainably and economically produced natural ingredients.”
According to a March 2020 report by Grand Market Research, the cannabis extract market will be worth $28.5 billion by 2027, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 16.6%. The consultancy said that growing legalization of cannabis in various countries, preference for cannabis oil and tinctures and adoption of medical marijuana for treating chronic diseases such as arthritis, anxiety and Alzheimer’s are the major factors propelling growth.
Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist
