NIZO and Enzymit team up to scale cell-free enzyme production

NIZO and Enzymit have announced the successful scaleup of novel enzyme production, marking a key milestone for Enzymit’s proprietary cell-free manufacturing platform. The partnership combines NIZO’s extensive experience in protein expression and fermentation with Enzymit’s enzyme design and cell-free bioproduction expertise, offering a compelling alternative to traditional biomanufacturing processes.

Enzymit’s platform bypasses the use of living cells, enabling the efficient creation of high-value biomolecules such as hyaluronic acid. The approach challenges long-held assumptions in bioproduction by removing the complexities and redundancies inherent to fermentation-based systems. As a result, manufacturing becomes faster, simpler, and significantly more cost-effective.

“This project is a great example of how NIZO supports innovative biotech companies in scaling breakthrough technologies,” commented Nikolaas Vles, CEO of NIZO. “We’re proud to help bring Enzymit’s cell-free manufacturing platform closer to industrial application.”

The collaboration, which brought together teams in Ede, the Netherlands, and Ness Ziona, Israel, represents a significant step forward in the industrialization of cell-free manufacturing. Unlike conventional microbial or mammalian cell systems, Enzymit’s method uses stripped-down biochemical machinery to catalyze reactions in vitro, offering more control and flexibility in producing enzymes and other complex molecules.

The successful scaleup validates not just Enzymit’s specific enzymes but also the broader feasibility of producing a wide range of biocatalysts using this method. That has strategic implications for industries seeking to reduce environmental impact and production costs while maintaining high product quality.

“Partnering with NIZO allowed us to move quickly from lab-scale to industrially relevant enzyme production,” said Dr Gideon Lapidoth, CEO & Co-founder of Enzymit. “This collaboration demonstrates the viability of cell-free bioproduction at scale and is a key enabler of our mission to reshape how biomolecules are made.”

Cell-free production platforms are attracting growing interest across sectors such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food technology. Their potential to reduce energy use, waste, and reliance on cellular growth cycles makes them attractive for manufacturers under pressure to meet sustainability targets.

The NIZO-Enzymit project has proven that cell-free enzyme production can meet the demands of industrial scale-up without compromising performance. The result is a model for future partnerships aiming to commercialize biomanufacturing processes that are not only more sustainable but also more adaptable to rapidly changing market needs.

By uniting NIZO’s technical infrastructure and contract manufacturing capabilities with Enzymit’s synthetic biology innovations, the two companies are helping to redefine how biologically derived products can be produced at scale.