eXoZymes achieves 99% purity in lab-scale NCT production

LOS ANGELES - eXoZymes Inc. (NASDAQ:EXOZ), a biotechnology company currently valued at $83 million and trading above InvestingPro’s Fair Value estimate, and its spinout NCTx have produced 4 grams of N-trans-caffeoyltyramine (NCT) at 96% yield with over 99% purity using the company’s AI-driven exozymes platform, according to a press release statement issued Tuesday.

The NCT project progressed from concept to gram-scale production in five months, the company reported. NCT is a natural compound being studied for potential benefits in liver fat metabolism, gut barrier function, and mitochondrial activity. The company maintains a strong financial position with a current ratio of 6.5x and minimal debt-to-equity of 0.15.

"Compared to extracting this from natural resources, which is the current way, you would need tens of kilograms of hemp seeds to produce the same quantity," said Dr. Tyler Korman, Co-founder and VP of Research at eXoZymes.

The company stated that NCT naturally occurs in trace amounts (less than 0.014% per hemp seed), which has limited its commercial availability despite research interest.

Damien Perriman, Chief Commercial Officer at eXoZymes, noted that NCT has been self-affirmed as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for functional foods. The company plans to increase production scale by 100 times over the next six months to provide samples to partners and prepare for GMP pilot scale production next year.

eXoZymes is seeking early access partners under material transfer agreements to sample the product. The company is preparing for kilogram-scale demand in 2026, according to the announcement.

The functional food bioactive ingredients market is valued at $216 billion and growing at 7.6% CAGR globally, the press release stated.

Founded in 2019, eXoZymes has developed a platform that uses enzymes enhanced through AI and bioengineering to produce chemical compounds without using living cells. With the company’s earnings report due on August 11, investors can access comprehensive analysis and additional insights through InvestingPro’s detailed research reports, which cover over 1,400 US stocks including EXOZ.

In other recent news, eXoZymes Inc. has reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2025. The company highlighted significant investments in research and development, despite a net loss of $1.86 million. eXoZymes emphasized its strong liquidity position and outlined forward-looking strategies, including the launch of a new subsidiary and innovative product developments. Additionally, eXoZymes and its spinout NCTx have achieved a technical milestone in biomanufacturing N-trans-caffeoyltyramine (NCT). They successfully completed gram-scale production validation of NCT using their cell-free exozyme platform, achieving a 96% reaction yield. This development addresses a longstanding bottleneck in sourcing the compound from nature. These recent developments reflect the company’s ongoing efforts to expand its market presence and innovate within the industry.

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