FermBase and Differential Bio form strategic partnership on AI-driven microbial fermentation

FermBase, the fermentation media brand of Hamburg-based CREMER, is expanding its existing collaboration with Munich biotechnology startup Differential Bio into a strategic partnership. The companies aim to support microbial fermentation companies from early-stage development through industrial scale-up. They will combine CREMER's raw material sourcing and supply-chain capabilities with Differential Bio's robotic laboratory automation and machine-learning tools. For CREMER, the move is part of a longer-term plan to add technology- and data-based services to its raw material business.

“With Differential Bio, we are advancing the transition towards bio-based production: our robotic laboratory automation generates targeted data for AI applications, while our software and AI solutions enable data-driven process development.”

—Christian Spier, CEO, Differential Bio

• The first joint project is Y-Base Blend, a standardized trace element blend for yeast fermentation that FermBase launched in September.
• During the blend's development, more than 50,000 possible trace element combinations were narrowed to 3,300 experiments across different yeast strains.
• Differential Bio is a spin-off from the environment of the Technical University of Munich (TUM). It combines high-throughput, automated fermentation experiments with machine-learning models to optimize media and processes.
• FermBase will act as the central point of contact for customers. It supplies carbon and nitrogen sources, mineral salts, trace elements, and custom and standardized blends.
• CREMER, founded in 1946 and family-owned in its third generation, has more than 2,600 employees and over 60 companies and shareholdings.