"Youtian Biotech" Secures Tens of Millions in Angel Round Funding for Mass Production of High-End Sweet Proteins | Exclusive by 36Kr

36Kr learned that the synthetic biology company "YouTian Bio" recently received tens of millions of yuan in angel round financing, led by Changzhou Qihang Synthetic Biology Venture Capital Fund. The funds from this round will be mainly used for the large - scale mass production of thaumatin, the expansion of synthetic biology product pipelines, and the iteration of the technology platform.

YouTian Bio was founded in 2023. Its founder and chairman, Cui Junsheng, graduated from the biology major of Nankai University. He is a serial entrepreneur who has participated in and completed the major new drug creation project of the national "863" program; he led the development of the world's first anti - tumor targeted protein drug targeting DR4/DR5 and completed the BD authorization.

Based on years of experience in protein drug development and biological manufacturing, Cui Junsheng joined hands with professors from universities such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing Normal University, and Tsinghua University to attempt a "sweet revolution" from carbohydrates to proteins with new technologies.

Through synthetic biology technology, YouTian Bio has overcome the difficulties in the R & D and mass production of the natural sweet protein "thaumatin". Currently, YouTian Bio's production base has been established in the Synthetic Biology Industrial Park in Liyang High - tech Zone, Changzhou, and a large - scale mass production fermentation system has been set up. After the products enter the market, they are expected to change the situation of the scarcity of high - end natural sweetener raw materials and high costs.

Meanwhile, it has established the Bio - Sup™ technology platform from gene analysis, AI protein structure optimization to process development and verification. In terms of platform capabilities, YouTian Bio has developed a variety of product pipelines, including: thaumatin (fermentation method), asparaginase, aldehyde dehydrogenase, horseradish peroxidase, human serum albumin, human - derived collagen, etc.

Using synthetic biology technology to ferment and mass - produce thaumatin

Human preference for sweetness is engraved in genes, but the health crises such as obesity and diabetes caused by excessive sugar intake have made "sweetness" a burden. To balance taste and health, the sweetener industry has gone through several iterations from chemical synthesis (such as aspartame and sucralose) to plant extraction (such as stevioside and mogroside).

However, the existing sweetener solutions are not perfect. Problems such as low sweet - price ratio, after - bitter taste defects, and the widely - concerned health risks after consumption are still driving the industry to explore better sweeteners.

Thaumatin is a natural high - potency sweet protein, originally discovered in the fruits of Thaumatococcus daniellii. As a natural protein, it has a series of advantages.

First of all, the sweetness of thaumatin can reach 3000 times that of sucrose. A very small amount of addition can achieve the ideal sweetness. Secondly, it has no unpleasant after - taste and can be used as a flavor enhancer to mask the bitterness, astringency, and metallic taste in foods (such as in coffee and functional drinks).

More importantly, as a protein, it will be digested and decomposed into amino acids in the human body without causing blood sugar fluctuations. It is a "zero - sugar" and "zero - calorie" healthy sweetener.

Thaumatin was discovered decades ago and has been approved as a flavoring agent in major global markets such as China, the United States (GRAS), and the European Union. However, in the past, it could only be added to a very small number of high - end products, and its commercialization has not boomed for a long time.

The core reason is the extreme scarcity of Thaumatococcus daniellii raw materials and extremely unstable yields. The supply of naturally - extracted thaumatin is low, and the price is extremely high. The market price once reached tens of thousands of yuan per kilogram.

"YouTian Bio relies on its independently - developed synthetic biology core technology and uses the microbial fermentation method to prepare thaumatin. Through the targeted transformation of chassis strains and the precise optimization of metabolic pathways, breakthroughs in product conversion rate and purity have been achieved," said Cui Junsheng. Through the fermentation method, the supply of thaumatin can be stably expanded according to market demand. While reducing production energy consumption and costs, it can also avoid the safety hazards of natural extraction processes and ensure food safety.

Building a moat: Fully integrating "R & D - pilot - mass production"

How to turn thaumatin, a former "aristocratic" sweetener, into a consumer product for the general public? The core barrier of YouTian Bio lies in not stopping at the strain design at the laboratory level, but building a full - chain technology from front - end R & D to back - end process optimization and verification, namely the Bio - Sup™ technology platform.

At the front - end R & D level, YouTian Bio has built a rich chassis strain library and functional element library. With mature gene - editing tools, the R & D team can rationally design metabolic pathways and efficiently integrate large - fragment exogenous genes, ensuring the high - yield potential of strains from the source.

At the back - end process level, YouTian Bio has created a multi - dimensional process amplification and product monitoring platform. By introducing real - time monitoring technology for intracellular metabolic flux, the team can capture the metabolic dynamics of strains during the fermentation process and conduct fine - tuned control of key indicators such as dissolved oxygen and pH value accordingly.

This data - driven process optimization has significantly shortened the R & D trial - and - error cycle, effectively solved the common "scale - up difficulty" problem faced by synthetic biology companies, and ensured the stability and efficiency of large - scale production.

"From laboratory R & D to industrialization, the company has always adhered to the core logic of 'technological innovation drives product implementation'," Cui Junsheng believes. Different from traditional laboratory R & D, YouTian Bio focuses on the unmet market demand for high - quality sweeteners and has formed a complete closed - loop of "R & D - pilot - mass production".

Technology can only generate commercial value when it is converted into production capacity. As the first domestic enterprise to apply for the synthetic biology preparation of thaumatin, YouTian Bio's industrialization process is also accelerating.

Currently, YouTian Bio's production base has been established in the Synthetic Biology Industrial Park in Liyang High - tech Zone, Changzhou. Relying on the perfect industrial supporting facilities in the park, the base is setting up a standardized and large - scale fermentation production system. It is reported that the company has completed the industrial - scale trial production and is promoting the construction of a production line with a 30 - ton fermentation scale.

"With the increasing global consumer demand for low - sugar and low - calorie healthy diets, the market demand for natural food additives such as protein sweeteners has increased sharply. YouTian Bio uses its own biosynthetic technology and product experience to rapidly expand its product line in this field and has developed a variety of natural protein food additives covering different sweetness levels and application scenarios," Cui Junsheng introduced. The national policy support for the biotech industry has promoted the development of high - quality and innovative food additives, especially the protein sweetener industry.

After receiving investment from Changzhou Qihang Synthetic Biology Venture Capital Fund, YouTian Bio "will further improve the production capacity construction of the Liyang production base, strengthen the R & D team and the iteration of the technology platform, and at the same time promote cooperation and docking with upstream and downstream enterprises in the food and beverage industry to accelerate the market penetration of fermentation - produced thaumatin."