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US-based plant cell technology company Ayana Bio has entered a strategic development partnership with Israeli fermentation specialist Brevel to advance the commercial production of plant-based bioactive ingredients.
The collaboration has been selected for funding by the Israel-US Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation, which supports joint innovation projects between American and Israeli companies.
The project forms part of a newly approved group of seven initiatives backed by a $7.5 million grant programme designed to accelerate the commercialisation of emerging technologies.
Under the partnership, Ayana Bio and Brevel will combine their respective plant cell cultivation and illuminated fermentation technologies to develop a scalable indoor production platform for high-value bioactive ingredients.
The companies said the collaboration aims to address challenges associated with conventional botanical ingredient supply chains, which can be affected by climate change, agricultural variability and contamination risks.
Ayana Bio will contribute its plant cell cultivation and synthetic biology capabilities, while Brevel will provide its proprietary illuminated fermentation platform, which is designed for the commercial-scale cultivation of photosynthetic organisms.
Frank Jaksch, CEO of Ayana Bio, said: "Our mission at Ayana Bio is to democratise nature's bioactives by decoupling ingredient production from traditional agricultural constraints. By integrating Brevel's unique illuminated fermentation platform, we can further scale our plant cell lines in a controlled, highly efficient environment."
Jaksch added that the BIRD Foundation grant supports the development of standardised, contaminant-free plant ingredients for the nutrition and wellness sectors.
Yonatan Golan, CEO and co-founder of Brevel, said the collaboration would expand the potential applications of illuminated fermentation technology.
"Applying this hardware and process engineering to plant cell cultivation allows us to accelerate the transition to a more resilient, sustainable food system," he said.
The BIRD Foundation said the project reflects its objective of supporting collaborative innovation between US and Israeli companies. According to the organisation, the latest funding round is expected to leverage private-sector investment and contribute to a combined $20 million in project funding.
The companies said the technology could support the production of ingredients for consumer packaged goods, dietary supplements and functional food applications.