SilicoLife
EMEA
,
Portugal
Established
FOUNDED
HEADCOUNT
21-100
FUNDING
Series A
Keywords:
synthetic_biology, metabolic_engineering, AI/ML, precision_fermentation, nutraceuticals, phenolics, biofuels
BUSINESS
SilicoLife is a Braga, Portugal-based industrial biotechnology company founded in 2010 as a spin-off from the Center of Biological Engineering at the University of Minho. The company began as an in-silico metabolic engineering services provider and pivoted in 2022 toward a product-oriented model focused on dietary supplement ingredients including salidroside (the active component of Rhodiola rosea), hydroxytyrosol, and danshensu, alongside an n-butanol pathway program (BUTANOVA).
BIOTECH INVOLVEMENT
SilicoLife designs microbial cell factories using proprietary AI-driven computational models and genome-scale metabolic modeling tools (with longstanding ties to OptFlux and related open-source toolchains from the Minho group), translating designs into experimentally validated strains in collaboration with academic and contract partners. The salidroside, hydroxytyrosol, and danshensu programs target phenylethanoid and phenolic compounds via aromatic amino acid pathway engineering, and the BUTANOVA pathway uses a non-conventional precursor route to n-butanol.
TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM
precision fermentation; AI-driven microbial engineering
PRIMARY PRODUCTS
Sustainable ingredients for dietary supplements and nutrition