Research & Development
Our commitment to innovation has led us to be involved in high impact R&D projects with international universities, research centers and companies.
OXYMEL
OXYMEL focuses on bringing an innovative and scalable fermentative biomelanin production process to the market. The four partners will work together to optimize bacterial unspecific peroxygenases (BUPOs) and bring sustainable biomelanin production as an ingredient for cosmetic products.
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Reference:
3856
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Start-End Date:
1 December 2023 - 1 June 2027
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Grant Amount:
1,115,053.20 €
TORRES QUEVEDO
PTQ – Torres Quevedo Program offers three-year grants to companies, technology centers, technological innovation support centers, business associations and science and technology parks to hire and promote the professional career of research personnel, as well as to stimulate the demand in the private sector for personnel sufficiently prepared to undertake R&D plans and projects.
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Reference:
PTQ2023-012987; PTQ2023-012988
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Start-End Date:
October 2024 - October 2027
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Beneficiaries:
Laura Tiessler, Gilberto Pereira
COMENZE
COMENZE — Computational Enzyme Engineering for Sustainable Polymer Design is a research project driving innovation in bio-based polymer development through advanced enzyme engineering. COMENZE is funded by the European Union, enabling groundbreaking research and training for the next generation of enzyme engineers. The project contributes to key EU sustainability goals, including climate neutrality, zero pollution, and the transition to a bio-based economy.
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Reference:
101169327
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Start-End Date:
1 March 2025 - 28 February 2029
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Grant Amount:
251,971.20€
Consortium:
Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Università di Pavia, Universitat de Girona, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Politechnika Śląska, DWI Leibniz-Institut für interaktive Materialien, Zymvol, Gecco Biotech, BASF SE, Aachen Proteineers, KU Leuven, Metgen Oy
MCGEA
McGEA – Metalloenzymes and Cells for Green Environmental Alternatives is a project that will use metalloenzymes as robust biocatalysts to address three critical environmental issues: CO2 capture, (bio)hydrogen production, and wastewater monitoring and remediation. The project involves research groups from both the EU and overseas, aiming to integrate fundamental scientific discovery with metalloenzyme-based processes and prototype devices through staff secondments to build diverse skills.
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Reference:
101183014
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Start-End Date:
1 December 2024 - 30 November 2028
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Grant Amount:
78,200€
Consortium:
ITQB NOVA, CNRS, Technische Universität Berlin, Technische Universiteit Delft, Università di Firenze Danmarks Tekniske Universitet, CONICET, University of New Mexico, ZymVol, Giotto Biotech, ChiralVision.
UNLOCK-EDD
UNLOCK-EDD —UNLOCKing next generation computer-guided Enzyme Discovery and Design— is a project funded by the European Commission that aims to keep improving Zymvol’s technology with artificial intelligence approaches, to develop a computational pipeline for enzyme kits and to develop proprietary enzymes.
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Reference:
873593
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Start-End Date:
1 October 2019 - 30 September 2021
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Grant Amount:
1,301,000€
BIOINSPIRESENSING
Funded by the European Commission, the BioInspireSensing project is a trans-national network for training PhD students in investigating, building, and producing a new generation of bioinspired implantable sensors of pressure, temperature and acidity. New devices will be made of complex hybrid materials, composed of natural molecules and synthetic biopolymers, with the additional properties of being fully biocompatible and bioresorbable.
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Reference:
955643
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Start-End Date:
1 January 2021 - 31 December 2024
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Grant Amount:
2,856,013€
Consortium:
Polytechnic University of Catalonia (coordinator), University of Teramo, University of Warsaw, 4Dcell SAS, University of Groningen, VIB-KU Leuven, University of Lausanne, ZYMVOL BIOMODELING SL
IDEA-PS
The IDEA-PS project aims to develop a new computational platform capable of identifying enzyme inhibitors in complex formulations used in chemical industry. The software will allow us to make more effective formulations that will save resources, energy and water.
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Reference:
3412C2V7T-1
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Start-End Date:
1 October 2021 - 31 October 2023
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Grant Amount:
135.961,90€
ENZIMMO-P
The ENZIMMO-P project, also known as “Software Development for Biocatalytic Process Optimization”, is aimed at upgrading the software used to improve enzymes’ properties, which are later applied to industrial processes.
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Reference:
ACE026/21/000082
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Start-End Date:
25 July 2022 - 24 July 2024
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Grant Amount:
136,205.45€
BRAINZYME
BRAINZYME is an Industrial Development project that aims to create a tech platform –zymBrain- capable of developing enzymes, offering new services to clients, serve society and provide a tool for intelligent decision-making.
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Reference:
2021/C005/00150909
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Start-End Date:
1 September 2022 - 23 May 2024
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Grant Amount:
697,753.65 €
B-LIGZYMES
Funded by European Commission, project goals address current limitations in lignin degradation by generating technological and economical solutions inspired by fundamental research. The project provides a holistic view for the development of biocatalytic processes involved in the valorisation of lignin.
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Reference:
824017
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Start-End Date:
1 February 2019- 31 January 2023
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Grant Amount:
970,000€
Consortium:
Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Universita degli studi di Roma Torvegata, Technische Universitaet Braunschweig, MetGen, Inquimae, North Carolina State University, ZYMVOL BIOMODELING SL.
SMARTBOX
Funded by Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) the project goal is to develop innovative ways of transforming biomass into added-value bio-aromatics, providing solutions to decouple our economy from fossil feedstocks.
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Reference:
837890
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Start-End Date:
1 May 2019- 30 April 2023
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Grant Amount:
3,900,000€
Consortium:
Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Universita degli studi di Pavia, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Ava Biochem, B4plastics, Covestro, Borregaard, Quantis, ZYMVOL BIOMODELING SL.
HEER
Under the NEOTEC programme, funded by The Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), a Spanish public organization under the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, the HEER project – Haciendo la evolución in silico de enzimas una realidad– aims to promote R&D for the improvement of proprietary enzyme search platform by fitting experimental data with in silico predictions.
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Reference:
SNEO-20181226
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Start-End Date:
1 January 2019 – 30 June 2020
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Grant Amount:
200.500€
* Ha sido financiado por los Presupuestos Generales del Estado a cargo de la aplicación 27.12.467C.74908
PETases
Funded by Torres Quevedo program from Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, the project (“Investigación, caracterización y diseño de nuevas enzimas con aplicaciones en la degradación de plásticos no biodegradables”) aims to investigate and define at the atomic level, the functioning of PETases enzymes, through a specialized software, ZYMEVOLVER. This information will be essential to optimize, in a controlled way, these enzymes in the multiple processes where they can be applied.
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Reference:
PTQ2018-009837
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Start-End Date:
1 November 2019 – 2 May 2022
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Grant Amount:
111.720€
Zymvol technology, explained
Dive deep into the science behind our enzyme discovery and optimization solutions
How We Use Biomatchmaker® to Find the Best Enzymes
1. The workflow begins by compiling thousands of enzyme sequences from both public and private databases and predicting their probability of catalyzing the target reaction.
2. Next, we generate structural models. We prioritize existing crystallographic data, but if unavailable, we create 3D structures using AlphaFold2 or homology modeling.
3. The structural filtering process then identifies the catalytic site and prepares the necessary cofactors and ions, ensuring only the highest-quality structural models proceed.
4. For molecular filtering, we model each structure with its ligand and perform physics-based simulations to predict success rates and select the most promising candidates. We also test for key parameters, such as substrate accessibility and shape complementarity.
5. This rigorous process narrows the selection to a final list of fewer than 20 enzymes. These candidates, chosen for their high potential, are then sent for laboratory testing to identify the optimal enzyme for the reaction. Selected enzymes can be further optimized using our ZYMEVOLVER technology.
How to cite Biomatchmaker®:
A ZYMVOL computational tool for enzyme search.
How We Use Zymevolver to Engineer Better Enzymes:
1. Our workflow begins by adding an enzyme sequence to the pipeline to generate a high-quality 3D structure. We then analyze the enzyme’s suboptimal properties, such as low thermostability or poor activity, to identify the root cause.
2. Next, we pinpoint key “hotspot” positions for improvement. Unlike traditional methods, we don’t limit mutations to the active site; we also consider distal mutations located far from it. This comprehensive approach is a key differentiator in our process.
3. Once hotspots are identified, we create a targeted mutant library. For each position, we strategically select amino acid substitutions to generate millions of promising variants.
4. We then model the structures to evaluate these mutants and select the best candidates—those that exhibit the desired client-specific improvements.
5. This highly selective process ultimately narrows the pool to fewer than 100 mutants. This precision-engineered approach, in stark contrast to the millions of mutants generated by traditional directed evolution, significantly reduces time and resources for enzyme engineering campaigns.
How to cite Zymevolver:
A ZYMVOL computational tool for enzyme engineering.
