[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/12387\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EBiotech potential set to soar with the help of digital technology\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeer may not be the answer to all of life\u2019s problems, but the science behind it could help decarbonise industrial processes and clean up the environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBiotechnology, which uses living organisms to create different products or processes, remains important in today\u2019s production of food and drink. But it is also increasingly used for a wide range of industrial products, including medicines, where it combines ancient principles with cutting-edge technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAncient wisdom, modern processes\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We\u2019ve used biotechnology for thousands of years to make cheese, to make beer, to make wine,\u2019 said Michael O\u2019Donohue, an expert in microbial enzymes and industrial biotechnology at France\u2019s National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow O\u2019Donohue, who leads an EU-funded project called\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/101094287\u0022\u003EBioindustry 4.0\u003C\/a\u003E, together with a team of biotech experts from 10 European countries, are exploring how the same biotechnology principles can be used to create chemicals or clean up industrial waste with a far smaller environmental impact than traditional methods.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We\u2019re not working with processes that operate in aggressive environments like, for instance, the chemical industry,\u2019 said O\u2019Donohue, highlighting a major positive aspect of biotech.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELittle workhorses\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBiotech has already transformed our lives, far beyond improving the taste of beer. Modern advances started with the use of fungi in the early 20th century to make life-saving antibiotics. Today, biotech remains crucial for making medicines\u003Cstrong\u003E.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs O\u2019Donohue explained, \u2018the workhorses of biotechnology at an industrial level are mainly yeast and filamentous fungi.\u2019\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut because yeasts can be unpredictable in what compound, and how much, they produce, Bioindustry 4.0, which runs until December 2026, will use digital technology to improve the consistency of biotech outcomes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re talking about industrial processes, so the name of the game is always costs, efficiency and reproducibility.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EMichael O\u2019Donohue, Bioindustry 4.0\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAn upside of biotechnology is that it can offer a cleaner alternative to traditional chemical manufacture.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile many industrial processes require high temperatures and hazardous chemicals, in biotechnology, most cells live between 30\u00b0C and 40\u00b0C, enjoy mild pH conditions, thrive in water-based liquids, and do not produce dangerous or poisonous substances.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe concept has already been proven. Businesses in Europe use natural processes to produce colour pigments and replace chemical colouring agents, which can help reduce the colossal use of water by the textile sector.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBiotech companies can also produce fuels and useful chemicals from agricultural waste or even from exhaust gas released by industrial plants.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELimiting inconsistencies\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut the use cases are limited because yeast, fungi and bacteria, unlike synthetic chemicals, can behave in unexpected ways and that\u2019s not good enough for much of modern industry, where consistency is key.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We\u2019re talking about industrial processes, so the name of the game is always costs, efficiency and reproducibility,\u2019 said O\u2019Donohue. \u2018We want the same results every time we run a bioprocess. This is what happens, for instance, in car manufacturing.\u2019\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBioindustry 4.0 aims to fix this shortcoming through the use of digital technology. \u2018It is a challenge to bring these two technologies together, but it is also a massive opportunity for biotechnology to go faster,\u2019 O\u2019Donohue said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESome of the research partners, for example, are developing real-time sensors to be fitted in bioreactors, where microbes are grown in suspended solutions. The sensors can track microbial growth and the production of compounds and alert researchers if they need to intervene, for example, by adding more sugar.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPlaying catch-up\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBiotech is a major global industry worth\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu\/document\/download\/47554adc-dffc-411b-8cd6-b52417514cb3_en\u0022\u003E\u20ac720 billion\u003C\/a\u003E in 2021, but Europe currently lags behind the US. The European Commission describes biotechnology as \u201cone of the most promising technological areas of this century\u201d and has taken steps to boost it in Europe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The US is the big player. They take 60% of the cake,\u2019 said O\u2019Donohue. \u2018We\u2019ve identified several weaknesses in Europe for biotech. We\u2019ve got a fragmented landscape, which makes it quite tricky, if you are developing biotechnology, to know what is available and where.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENevertheless, O\u2019Donohue said, the potential is there. \u2018Europe was the birthplace of modern biotechnology. We have a lot of infrastructure. We have a lot of expertise.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBioindustry 4.0 builds on the work of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/871118\u0022\u003EPREP-IBISBA\u003C\/a\u003E, another EU-funded project, which ran until the end of 2023 and aimed to smooth the process of sharing research facilities for industrial biotechnology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project team produced\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ibisba.eu\/\u0022\u003EIBISBA\u003C\/a\u003E, a research infrastructure concept that allows access to cutting-edge facilities to test, for example, the precise content of new materials produced by microbes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy tapping into IBISBA, researchers can be quickly guided to the right expertise or equipment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBuilding the market\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe concept has already been put to work, assisting young European companies such as Calidris Bio, a Belgian start-up that aims to manufacture high-quality protein using fewer resources.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We want to bring it to the market as an ingredient to replace fishmeal and soy that at the moment is not grown sustainably,\u2019 said Lieve Hoflack, a co-founder of Calidris Bio.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut producing the protein is just half the battle. A new product must be tested for safety, taste and nutritional value.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe need to help European science stay in the race and help our innovators find support.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EMichael O\u2019Donohue, Bioindustry 4.0\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018With IBISBA, we found a place with the right equipment, the right expertise and also the right mindset to bring our process to the next step,\u2019 said Hoflack.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe European Commission has said it aims to boost biotechnology to combat climate change and resource scarcity. It is working towards an EU Biotech Act and aims to promote regulatory sandboxes to test novel approaches in a controlled environment for a limited amount of time, under regulatory supervision.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt will also work towards streaming regulations and establishing an EU Biotech Hub to help companies navigate the regulatory seas and pinpoint support for scaling up their enterprises.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We need to help European science stay in the race and help our innovators find support, especially during their first steps,\u2019 said O\u2019Donohue.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the EU\u2019s Horizon Programme. The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-zw0veod9vjiw23qhvnjcnrgzzqgh8tistkdcfzxvy58\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-zw0VEoD9vJIW23QHvNJCNRGZZQGh8TisTKDcFZxvY58\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]