Manufacturing hydrolized phytoglycogen nanoparticles at multi-kilogram scale

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Mirexus Biotechnologies Inc., based in Guelph, ON, has developed a water-based process to extract naturally occurring phytoglycogen nanoparticles (PhG) from sweet corn. These nanoparticles are uniform in size (i.e. monodisperse), non-toxic and non-immunogenic. They are also highly amenable to chemical modification. These characteristics position PhG as an attractive biocompatible nano-platform technology. Mirexus recently developed several methods of generating size-reduced material through acid/heat hydrolysis or via enzymatic digestion of PhG. Biological testing of the hydrolysed material has uncovered unique properties including enhanced reduction of reactive oxygen species, upregulation of repair proteins, and decreased melanogenesis in skin cells. Manufacturing hydrolyzed multi-kilogram-scale material would enable Mirexus to launch hydrolyzed PhG as a novel ingredient for personal care applications (native PhG is already well-positioned in this market). While acid/heat treatment is effective at generating hydrolyzed material, the production facility's current infrastructure does not have the pH required to produce this material. Mirexus' current production set-up is compatible with enzymatic digestion; however, the time required to produce uniformly-hydrolyzed material greatly increases the cost of goods. The goal of this research project is to develop an economical and scalable manufacturing process for a new class of nanoparticle-phytoglycogen-which is core to the success of Mirexus' business/operations, representing a significant source of revenue for the company. Expansion of PhG-based technologies within the market demands methodologies that enable scalable production of modified material, which can be easily integrated into Mirexus' production process. Mirexus currently lacks the infrastructure and expertise required to develop these methodologies; thus, it is imperative that they collaborate with academic partners such as Dr. Martinez. Mirexus is a Canadian company based in Guelph ON. Expanding PhG-based product lines will lead to increased global demand for this patented technology (>95% of revenue will be from exports), growth of the company, and ultimately, creation of more high-tech jobs for Canadians. This will directly benefit the Canadian economy. Because we intend to bring the results of this work to market within a year, it is anticipated that these high-tech jobs will be created within the next two years.