Cell-free biosynthesis enables the in vitro production of proteins and biomolecules without the direct use of living cells. Instead, specially prepared cell extracts or lysates are used, containing all the components of the biosynthetic machinery. By adding amino acids, an energy source, salts, and other cofactors, virtually any protein encoded by a DNA or RNA template can be synthesized. Specific adjustments during lysate preparation can also preserve additional metabolic functions, allowing these systems to be used in complex screening workflows, such as targeted protein degradation, identification of metabolic inhibitors, or nucleic acid modifications. Cell-free systems are also ideal for producing secondary metabolites or for applications in biosensor development and cosmetic products.
With the increasing demand for high-throughput screening driven by AI-based protein design, cell-free systems offer a flexible, rapid, cost-effective, and scalable solution for addressing diverse biological questions.
At Fraunhofer IME, we have developed a plant-based system using the tobacco cell culture Bright Yellow 2 (BY-2), which outperforms available commercial systems in both yield and flexibility. In addition to various plant cell lines, we leverage bacteria, yeasts, and human cell cultures to create specialized lysates, enabling the efficient screening, production, and modification of biomolecules and metabolic pathways to meet specific research needs.
Our offerings also include the PCP technology as an alternative platform, enabling us to span a significant portion of the development pipeline—from in vitro biosynthesis and process optimization to full-scale protein production.
Our Services
- Access to our high-performance cell-free protein expression system with yields up to 3 mg/mL
- Tailored lysate development for production and screening of therapeutics, industrial proteins and peptides, colorants and flavors, herbicides, and cosmetic ingredients
- Creation of detection strategies and lysates for implementing cell-free systems in biosensor applications
- Custom adaptation, development, and scale-up of screening and manufacturing processes using cell-free systems
Your Benefits
- A powerful platform technology for biomolecule screening in cell-free systems
- Accelerated development timelines for your product candidates
- Comprehensive, one-stop development: combining expertise and capabilities in analytics, process development, bioreactor production, and regulatory compliance
Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME