About the Client:
The Client in this case, a leading biotechnology and bioinformatics company, engaged PreScouter to identify market opportunities for biopolymers, in the form of coatings, adhesives, films, and sensors.
Challenge:
The challenge for PreScouter was to identify applications for biopolymers where a biopolymer provides advantages over the currently available solutions.
Approach:
PreScouter searched for and evaluated recent protein and polypeptide research, looking at the novelty, impact, and commercial opportunity of these materials. The team focused on finding opportunities with a major scientific impact, where a robust synthetic biology platform could make an appreciable improvement in the commercial potential of the molecule as opposed to looking for particular applications.
Since secondary research highlighted potential opportunities for hydrophobins and bioadhesives, PreScouter interviewed Subject Matter Experts pertinent to these fields. For each, the focus was to determine development trends, capacity to successfully compete in potential markets, and barriers to their use.
Outcome:
Hydrophobins show excellent nanolayer coating and biosurfactant properties. opening a wide range of potential uses, including applications requiring small quantities. For modifying surfaces, hydrophobins are unlike any product now on market and may represent a major disruptor, if production can be streamlined.
Although bioadhesive innovation is being driven by environmental conscientiousness and regulatory pushes in many regions, they do not yet offer better price/performance characteristics than synthetic adhesives, bringing their economic feasibility into question.
A downloadable version of this case study is available here.
