Genedata Joins Henkel in White Biotech Initiative

Swiss-based computational biology provider Genedata AG announced a five-year collaboration with Henkel KGaA, a global leader in home care, personal care and adhesives technologies, in their Genomic Design initiative. Genedata Phylosopher`s proven biological data management platform will support Genomic Design in enhancing the performance of microorganisms such as Bacillus licheniformis. Improving those key players in the biotechnological production of enzymes for detergents and cleaning agents is expected to lead to new products with qualities both consumers and the environment will benefit from, like reduced energy and detergent consumption due to lower washing temperatures and better cleansing power.

The Phylosopher system will be implemented as the central infrastructure for Henkel and its research partners, to integrate all proprietary functional genomic data based on Henkel’s production strains. Large data volumes of transcriptomics, metabolomics and proteomics data gathered during industrial fermentation processes can thus be processed, stored and analyzed. Moreover, the data generated will aid metabolic reconstruction and a better understanding of critical regulatory networks, paving the way to identifying and eliminating the factors that limit production yields.

“The use of functional genome information to optimize microorganisms and their products is key to success in white biotechnology,” states Dr. Karl-Heinz Maurer, Director of Enzyme Technology at Henkel. “Genedata Phylosopher will help us to gain valuable insights into the genetic configuration and molecular circuitry of the different production strains that will be designed and screened within the Genomic Design project. With Phylosopher, the interdisciplinary teams at Henkel and at our partners receive the best support they can get for their data-driven approach to streamlining biotech production processes.”

"We are proud that Henkel has chosen Genedata for this key role within the Genomic Design project,” says Dr. Othmar Pfannes, CEO of Genedata AG. “This initiative shows once again that the fields of biotechnology, chemicals, consumer goods, food and feed can all truly benefit from Genedata’s products and professional services. We feel encouraged in our strategy to deliver scalable and flexible research IT infrastructure solutions for joint research projects and large organizational frameworks.”