MicroBioGen opens new biofuels laboratory facilities in Sydney

Biofuels International

14 October 2022

Australian industrial biotechnology firm MicroBioGen has opened its new laboratories in Macquarie Park in northern Sydney.
The labs will produce world-leading micro-organisms that are essential to industries including biofuels, alternative proteins, space exploration, sustainable human foods and animal feed.
The facility was opened by the Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Senator the Hon Jenny McAllister.
A global innovator of specialised and bespoke strains of the common yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae - also known as baker’s yeast, MicroBioGen’s new labs represent a significant investment by the company to establish a world-leading industrial biotechnology hub in Australia.

MicroBioGen CEO Geoff Bell said: “The new laboratories will allow us to expand our research capabilities, putting MicroBioGen and Australia at the forefront of global biotech and sustainable innovation.
“By building a state-of-the-art facility we will attract and retain the brightest scientific minds to NSW, scientists who can help MicroBioGen advance its micro-organisms, especially in the areas of sustainability, biofuels, animal feed and alternative protein development.
“Exports currently make up 100 per cent of our revenues so it is essential that our facilities and our scientists are also the best in the world.”
Spun out of Sydney’s Macquarie University in 2001, MicroBioGen’s first commercial ethanol products entered the North American market in 2017 through a partnership with Danish industrial biotech giant Novozymes.
In just four years, MicroBioGen-developed yeast were the leading biocatalysts in the US biofuel market.
Twice the size of the company’s previous research space, the 1,250 square metre facility will enable MicroBioGen to double its skilled scientific workforce to around 40 scientists including geneticists, and biofuel and baking specialists. The dedicated R&D facility includes fermentation labs, a genetics lab and large preparation rooms, all equipped with the latest technology including robots, high performance liquid chromatography and minus 80C˚ freezers.