Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME
Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME

Our Services

Hands-on research expertise for our clients

For more than 20 years, we have been partnering closely and reliably with organizations across industry and research. We tackle demanding scientific and technical challenges, offering solutions to even the most complex questions. Whether you are a start-up, SME, mid-sized company, or global corporation, we understand your unique needs and deliver tailored, practical solutions.

We look forward to presenting you with a customized proposal and building a successful partnership!

PCPs for Screening of Biomolecules

At Fraunhofer IME, we harness plant-based production systems for the sustainable synthesis of complex biomolecules (Plant Molecular Farming) with applications in diagnostics, medicine, and agriculture. During early-stage product development, our proprietary Plant Cell Pack (PCP) technology and plant-based cell-free lysate systems enable efficient screening of biosynthetic pathways and biomolecules such as proteins and metabolites.

Using the PCP technology, cultivated plant cells are placed in microtiter plates and transfected through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation to express target proteins — allowing hundreds of variants to be analyzed in high throughput within a short time. This accelerates early process and product development by identifying promising product candidates and optimal production parameters, which can then be scaled for stable cell line generation or plant cell fermentation.

Our Services

  • High-throughput identification of suitable biosynthetic pathways and producible product variants from thousands of candidates
  • Feasibility studies for producing promising product candidates at the milligram scale
  • Process automation, integrated modeling, and optimization of individual process steps
  • Rational design of biosynthetic pathways and product variants

Your Benefits

  • Significant cost and time savings in biomolecule screening
  • Optimization of your process at every stage of development
  • Fast and reliable supply of complex, glycosylated proteins and metabolites for product development and feasibility studies
  • Broad portfolio of plant-based production hosts

Application examples for PCPs for screening biomolecules

 

© Fraunhofer IME

High-throughput screening of protein candidates

Based on the BY-2 plant cell line, a system for high-throughput screening of biosynthetic pathways and biomolecules was developed using PCP technology. Combined with modeling and automation solutions, the ideal gene construct for the expression of the respective target product can be experimentally identified and prepared in a short time.

Publication on PCPs
 

© Fraunhofer IME

Scaling up the PCP technology

The project aims to scale up the established screening procedure using PCP technology to produce several mg to g of target protein. Technical solutions for scaling up this process are being researched.

More about PCP Scale UP
 

© 2(TD) RWTH

Antibody-drug conjugates

In the DFG Research Training Group at RWTH Aachen University, PCP technology is used to develop antibody-drug conjugates (immunotoxins) for targeted drug delivery and therapy of tumor diseases.

More about RTG
 

© Fraunhofer IME

GMP-compliant PCP production

In the experimental space of the DATI pilot project, we are implementing a co-creation approach with stakeholders from industry, research, and authorities to eliminate technological and regulatory barriers to GMP-compliant production using PCP technology.

More about PCP DEMO
 

© Fraunhofer IME

Model-based optimization in plant cells

The aim of the project is to use the data sets from the bioprocess on growth, nutrient consumption and product formation for modeling, experimental design, model adaptation and multi-criteria process optimization in order to adaptively optimize process control for targeted productivity increases.

More about DiBi