Novonesis, TurtleTree partner to support commercialization of lactoferrin

DENMMAK – Novonesis has made an agreement with TurtleTree, an innovator for the scaling, manufacturing and commercialization of its lactoferrin LF+®.

Under the agreement, Novonesis will exclusively undertake efforts to scale, manufacture and commercialize LF+® for the early life nutrition market and will additionally have selected commercial rights for dietary supplements.

The agreement with TurtleTree complements Novonesis’ pioneering efforts in precision fermentation and fits well into the existing Human Health Biosolutions portfolio of Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs), probiotics and synbiotics.  

Thomas Batchelor, Senior Vice President for Early Life and Specialized Nutrition at Novonesis, said: “Our aim is to make lactoferrin more accessible and cost-competitive and showcase what is achievable with precision fermentation in early life nutrition and dietary supplements. If successfully scaled, this will enable customers to deliver proven health benefits to consumers more efficiently. LF+®fits well in our broader portfolio of both precision fermentation projects and our specialized nutrition ingredients.”

Lactoferrin is a protein naturally found in milk and is recognized for its benefits across immunity, iron regulation, and gut health, particularly for women and infants.

Traditional production requires large volumes of milk, leading to high costs, supply constraints, and environmental inefficiencies, preventing broad access to the health benefits that Lactoferrin provides.

Through the collaboration, Novonesis and TurtleTree aim to secure ample, high-purity and cost-effective production of TurtleTree’s LF+® to the benefit of global customers.  

NSF awards Novonesis funding to advance cell-free biomanufacturing of HMO

Recently, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded Novonesis funding through its Use-Inspired Acceleration of Protein Design (NSF USPRD) initiative for enabling cell-free synthesis of longer human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). 

The effort aims to develop cost-effective methods to produce complex nutrients found in human breast milk—nutrients vital to infant health and development yet scarce in today’s infant formulas.

USPRD, managed by NSF TIP, brings together industry, academic teams via an Ideas Lab, a one-week brainstorming session with invited experts from industry, academia, and other sectors, to translate AI-enabled protein design into practical, market-ready solutions.

The USPRD initiative is designed to secure U.S. leadership in biotechnology by accelerating innovation to bring sustainable bio-based products to market in a highly competitive global landscape.

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