Plant biotechnology holds the key to disrupt current, non-sustainable production of food, materials, and chemicals. Take full advantage of VTT’s novel, sustainably produced plant biotechnology products such as functional plant-based biomass, extracts, and molecules for your applications.
Key facts
Crucial anticancer drugs, vaccines and antibodies are nowadays supplied by plant cell cultures.
Cultured plant cells are already important ingredients in modern cosmetics and personal care.
Plant cell cultures contain superior nutritional composition for future food applications.
VTT develops plants, plant cells, microalgae, and other plant-based raw materials for the sustainable production of biomass, ingredients, high-value chemicals, and proteins. The benefits of our approaches are a stable supply in combination with safe and contained production processes resulting in economical and clean products.
Our tailor-made R&D solutions range from efficient utilisation of industrial side streams to cell-based production of high value molecules. They offer our customers a competitive edge and protectable innovations enabling new businesses and value chains.
Comprehensive biotechnology expertise from idea to industrial scale
Our unique expertise supports the whole innovation chain from the idea to the final product.
We offer plant cell and tissue culture technology from initiation up to industrial scale. Product development can be facilitated by metabolic engineering including synthetic biology. We valorise industrial plant-based side streams by fractionation, bioprocessing and extraction. For all these options, we can conduct comprehensive chemical characterisation, bioactivity assessment and safety evaluation.
What we can offer
- One-stop-shop from lab to piloting
Everything from strain and process development to techno-economics in one project - Chemistry expertise
Decades of inhouse chemistry expertise and possibility to combine both biotechnical and chemical routes. - Synthetic biology
Novel and traditional tools for synthetic biology, synthetic gene expression system (SES) and a wide range of host organisms - Automation and robotics
High-throughput strain construction, screening, and bioprocessing - Strong partner network
Active network enables the use of world-leading know-how and supports in building ecosystems and value chains for the business case
Plant biotechnology holds the key to disrupt current, non-sustainable production of food, materials and chemicals. For example, we recently succeeded in developing coffee production through plant cells in our laboratory here in Finland.
Plant natural compounds and proteins as well as exploitation of Nordic biodiversity, for instance berries, are our main research areas.
Additional core areas of competence are plant metabolism, biotransformation, genetic engineering, and cryopreservation of plant cells. Our valuable plant cell culture lines can be accessed through the internationally recognised VTT culture collection.
Unique plant biotechnology R&D infrastructure
Our customers include the chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, personal care, food and feed, beverage, flavour, and fragrance industries. Through our exceptional research infrastructure, we are able to support our customers and partners through different stages of their projects.
Our most important resources are:
- plant cell culture collection
- aseptic working areas
- modular molecular biology tools
- cell models for bioactivities
- bioreactors for screening and up to pilot scale (steel tank, glass, disposable)
- growth rooms
- greenhouse and incubators,
- long-term cryostorage of plant cell lines
- analytical infrastructure (including UPLC-MS, GC-MS, NMR).
Customer cases
Paulig partnered with VTT to create plant cell cultures to meet food sustainability goals
VTT and PINC, the venture arm of Finnish visionary food company Paulig, worked together to create novel plant cell lines to explore their potential as future food.
“There is enormous disruptive potential in VTT's plant cell cultures as a food concept. We were very pleased with the established plant cell lines and their features." - Marika King, Head of PINC, Paulig
Successful cooperation with Finnish cosmetics company Lumene
“Cooperation with VTT has been extremely productive. Achieving international growth in the cosmetics industry requires not only solid innovative product development, but also good, world class partners.
VTT is a natural and preferred partner for us because they have innovative expertise and dedication to succeed with the latest technology.” -Tiina Isohanni, Lumene’s Vice President, Innovation & Development.
Strong networks with European partners
Close academic collaboration with leading international universities and research institutes ensures scientific excellence at the forefront of plant biotechnology.
At VTT, we are well networked within European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO), European Technology Platform (ETP), Plants for the Future, the International Society for Plant Molecular Farming and EU COST Actions. Furthermore, we are coordinating and active partners in the EU, ERAnet and EIT Food consortia as well as in nationally funded projects.
We also actively promote hosting international scholars and students e.g. in the frame of Erasmus program and within the Finnish Doctoral Programme in Plant Sciences.
Project: InnCoCells - Innovative high-value cosmetic products
VTT coordinates the InnCoCells project that brings together 17 European partners that work together to develop innovative, safe, and sustainable plant‑derived cosmetic ingredients with scientifically proven effects.
How to work with us
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Contact us!
Tell us what you want to do, and together we will figure out how to do it. After the initial assessment, we can proceed with one of the following options – whichever best suits your needs. -
Customised partnership
Every research case is unique, and we’re happy to tailor our plant biotechnology services to your needs. We’ll take you from idea to tested solution without hassle. -
Cooperative project
We frequently participate in research and development projects with multiple business partners and funding agencies. In cooperative projects the risk is split between multiple organisations, and everyone benefits from the results. -
Technology transfer and licensing
We are happy to grant licenses to our IPR for the development of successful commercial biotechnology products.
