LigniLabs GmbH has developed a groundbreaking platform technology for bio-based micro- and nano-capsules based on lignin. The aim is to pave the way for targeted plant medicine by producing plant vaccines and to fundamentally change numerous other sectors, such as the construction industry, with bio-based flame-retardant formulations. At the beginning of July, the Mainz-based company was able to secure a start-up grant of one million euros from the Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation (SPRIND). This will enable LigniLabs to further develop its innovative microencapsulation technology, open up new fields of application, and strategically expand the team.

In addition, the start-up grant will enable LigniLabs to further refine its platform technology. It comprises a flexible modular system consisting of a biopolymer capsule and variable capsule content. The lignin capsules, also known as LigniCAPS, can contain a plethora of diverse substances such as fertilizers, fungicides, flame retardant additives, stimulants, enzymes, or DNA in their interior. These substances can be released under the control of specific triggers. To develop tailor-made solutions for customers, the start-up grant helps pursue business development activities, ensure regulatory approval, and demonstrate the scalability of the technology; in addition to product development.

As the regulatory hurdles in the flame-retardant sector are lower than in the crop protection sector, the market for bio-based flame retardants will be their beachhead market. Due to the greater complexity and the need for additional capital, the market launch of plant vaccines will become a medium term market goal.

Alexander Throm, co-founder and CEO of LigniLabs, says the support from SPRIND is a huge milestone: As a team, we are incredibly proud to have taken this big step, and we are very grateful for the trust SPRIND has placed in us with the start-up grant. The grant gives us the opportunity to further develop LigniLabs towards operational readiness, make our technology-based products accessible to potential customers, and at the same time take a decisive step towards ‘investment readiness’. This lays the foundation for making the technology and the resulting products available worldwide - with the potential to sustainably improve the lives of many people. At the same time, we are helping to further strengthen Germany as a leading nation in the field of biotechnology and life sciences.