Top 10 Biotech Companies That Practice Biomimicry
Biotechnology is fast becoming less of a niche and more of a widely applied industry. This article explores what biotech is, how it's different from biomimicry and a look at our top real world examples of biotech companies practicing biomimicry.
What is Biotech?
Biotech, or biotechnology, is the use of living things (like cells, bacteria, or plants), their components (like DNA or proteins), or their processes (like fermentation) combined with technology to make useful products and solve problems. However, note that it should be distinguished from bio-utilization (also known as bio-processing).
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) states that traditional bioprocessing utilises the natural properties of living organisms, “while the more modern form of biotechnology will generally involve a more advanced modification of the biological system or organism”.
Thus, biotechnology is a little more specific than bioprocessing (or bio-utilization). It refers particularly to the cutting-edge technologies used to leverage the unique properties of biological systems and turn them into useful products.
Techniques like genetic engineering, genome sequencing, and bioinformatics are often used and allow for precise manipulation of biological systems, to create advanced technologies in a range of applications.
Interested in technology? Read: The Best Biomimicry Examples in Technology
What Exactly do Biotech Companies Do?
Biotech companies do biological and technological research and develop products or services based on, and working with, biological systems.
Here is a (non-exhaustive!) overview of some of the benefits of biotechnology.
This infographic is free to use, provided that the user credits Learn Biomimicry and links back to this blog. To learn more about what biomimicry is and how you can apply it, download our eBook for FREE here: Field Guide to Biomimicry
Biotechnology companies work in various industries, but it often falls into these areas:
Healthcare: Biotechnology in medicine has led to the development of medicines, therapies, prosthetics, diagnostic tools and other life-saving resources. A good example here is vaccines.
Nova Laboratories has patented a method of vaccine storage inspired by anhydrous organisms where the vaccines are first dehydrated using sugar syrup, which prevents bacteria from incubating and growing in the vials.
Once injected into a human, the body fluids reactivate the vaccine and it can start its normal delivery process within the body.
Agriculture: Growing more resilient crops, creating sustainable farming practices and developing ecofriendly pesticides are some of the benefits of biotech in agriculture. For example, to combat the crop pest problem in an organic way, Pheronym Inc has turned to nematodes (a type of worm) and tapped into their communication systems.
Certain nematode species emit pheromones that repel pests, and also prevent harmful, parasitic nematode species from destroying the soil, which has led to the development of a toxin-free, organic pesticide.
Environmental Solutions: Combating pollution and producing renewable energy are all areas of conservation that are perfect for biotechnology. From large forest ecosystems to massive oceans to the variety of organisms that use carbon to make various components, our planet has a remarkable ability to sequester carbon.
Certain microorganisms in the ocean eat methane and carbon dioxide as food, and can convert it into a bioplastic called PHB, a compostable compound. Newlight Technologies are creating a plastic alternative with these organisms that help reduce the effects of carbon dioxide.
Nature is the original technology! Do you agree? Read: 6 Examples of Technology in Nature
How Does Biotech Relate to Biomimicry?
Biomimicry is about learning from nature’s designs and processes to solve human challenges, while biotech uses biology as a tool to create solutions. Both fields rely on understanding biology, but biomimicry is more about drawing inspiration from nature, while biotech focuses on directly harnessing it in technologically advanced ways.
The two fields can easily be combined, but they are not the same thing. Biomimicry might inspire the idea (looking to nature to find solutions by emulating a form, function or process).
Biotech can provide the tools and knowledge to turn that idea into reality and offer the use of organisms or processes to apply biomimicry.
If a biotech company creates a product or service that both harnesses nature AND emulates it, it might just be the perfect overlap. Below are 10 real-world examples.
Are you interested in learning quickly? 🎥Watch these short biomimicry videos (under 10 min each), or sign up to receive a free video-series in your inbox.
Our Top 10 Examples of Biotech Companies That Practice Biomimicry
1. GoodMeat
In a world where both animal and plant based products can contribute to climate change in some shape or form, cultured meat is a good alternative. GoodMeat is doing just that. They are based in the US and also now have a team in Singapore.
Product/Service: Cultured meat products
Biomimetic aspect: Emulates how a mammal grows
Biotech aspect: Uses animal cells
2. Bluumbio
Bluumbio created chemical-free products that degrade toxins in the environment while also restoring landscapes by mimicking natural enzymes. This is useful for former refineries, cleaning up oil spills and other industrial environments.
Product/Service: Bioremediation products
Biomimetic aspect: Emulates natural soil ecology and how enzymes interact with other organisms
Biotech aspect: Employs enzymes in products
3. Normal Phenomena of Life
Online shopping has made it (super!) easy to access any products from anywhere in the world, including fast fashion or low quality interior products supplied by chains that are harmful to the environment and the humans producing the products.
But Normal Phenomena of Life wants to change that by creating products through a circular bio-based economy, and also curating a range of innovative biotech-enabled brands that are already making a meaningful social and environmental impact.
Product/Service: Several bio-based products, including clothing
Biomimetic aspect: Incorporates Biomimicry Life's principles: Uses readily available materials and be resource efficient; as well as using Life-friendly chemistry
Biotech aspect: Uses bacteria to create fabric dye, furniture repurposed from waste with micro-organisms, and more
4. Ecovative Design
Ecovative Design uses mycelium (fungal networks) to create packaging materials, construction materials, and alternative textiles. Their MycoComposite™ technology mimics the natural binding properties of fungi to produce biodegradable, high-strength materials.
Product/Service: Different materials, especially for packaging and construction
Biomimetic aspect: Emulates how mycelium binds organic matter
Biotech aspect: Using environmental signals to program the growth of mycelium into desired shapes and structures
5. Sway
Sway combats climate change by farming seaweed to produce a range of plastic-alternative products. Their offerings include packaging solutions, resin for manufacturing and a film that can be used for wrapping, shopping bags and more.
Product/Service: Seaweed-made plastic alternatives
Biomimetic aspect: Uses the Circular Economy and Life’s Principles
Biotech aspect: Seaweed agriculture for packaging technology
6. Nanomik
Many countries battle food insecurity, and many existing agricultural products are unsustainable or even harmful to the environment. Nanomik have designed bio-based products for agricultural use, like pesticides that emulate the way certain plants repel mould that are organic and have no negative environmental impacts.
Product/Service: Agriculture products combating fungi in produce
Biomimetic aspect: Mimicking natural system defence mechanisms
Biotech aspect: Bio-based fungicides and pesticides
7. Aspect Biosystems
This innovative biotech company produces tissue therapeutics that are designed to replace, or supplement selected biological functions in the human body. Aspect Biosystems' products are used in the treatment of endocrine disorders, metabolic disorders, the regeneration of damaged tissue and more.
Product/Service: Prosthetic medical tissue
Biomimetic aspect: Emulates human tissue
Biotech aspect: Cell and biomaterial processing; Bio-printing
8. Bioxodes
Bioxodes is a biomedical engineering company developing a drug, inspired by tick saliva, that might aid in the prevention of thrombosis and neuroinflammation in hemorrhagic stroke patients. Ticks have adapted a complex strategy to feed on their hosts’ blood.
When feeding, ticks have to evade the host’s immune response and stop the blood from clotting. It achieves this by producing molecules through its saliva, which offers useful insights for the manufacture of medicine.
Product/Service: Medical treatment
Biomimetic aspect: Emulates tick saliva
Biotech aspect: Biomedical engineering
9. Bolt Threads
Skin care and hair care products inspired by spiders? You read that right. Bolt Threads manufacture products containing B-silk™ which replicates the amino acid composition of natural spider silk. They also produce textiles inspired by the proteins in spiderwebs, and a leather alternative made from mycelium.
Product/Service: Several fashion and skin-care products, including vegan silk and mycelium leather materials
Biomimetic aspect: Emulates spiderwebs and leather
Biotech aspect: Biobased, biodegradable polypeptides developed for the beauty industry
10. University of Portsmouth
What can we learn from molluscs? Limpets, a marine snail that clings to rocks, have incredibly strong and durable teeth. In fact, their teeth are reported to be the strongest known biologically occurring material… Some would say they have a really good grip on life!
Researchers at the University of Portsmouth in the UK are studying them, and teeth from other species, to develop building materials that are strong, durable and sustainable by growing these structures synthetically.
Product/Service: Extremely strong composite material
Biomimetic aspect: Mimics limpet teeth
Biotech aspect: Growing synthetic limpet teeth cells
In Closing
Biotechnology, especially when combined with biomimicry, can be greatly beneficial to solve human challenges while creating sustainable and life-friendly solutions through groundbreaking technology.
If you're ready to take your biomimicry learning journey to the next level, explore the Biomimicry Short Course here for practical, in-depth teaching though videos, handbooks and other valuable resources.
Our eBooks and courses can be applied to any context, from leadership lessons to product design. Our learners include architects, business founders, designers, teachers and sustainability consultants.