What Prozomix does

Prozomix is a UK-based biotechnology company founded in 2008 that discovers, develops, and manufactures a large catalogue of novel biocatalysis enzymes for pharmaceutical and industrial customers. The company operates a vertically integrated model combining proprietary metagenomic enzyme discovery (GRASP™ and meta-GRASP technologies) with in-house fermentation manufacturing at its Haltwhistle, Northumberland site, spanning a Flask Lab (200 enzymes/day), a 750 L Pilot Plant (operational since 2017), and a new Production Plant with three 2400 L vessels nearing full operation in mid-2024. Over a decade of environmental sampling at more than 400 UK locations — including a 2023 UK coastline circumnavigation — has generated trillions of base pairs of sequence data and a proprietary catalogue of more than 6,000 native enzymes across 50+ panels (KREDs, IREDs, transaminases, EREDs, P450s, nitrilases, and others).

The company's commercial model rests on four streams: (1) free-to-screen Biocatalysis Enzyme Toolkit driving adoption, with paid enzyme catalogue sales at commoditised global list prices (e.g., $340 per 1 g to $165,000 per 100 kg); (2) contract manufacturing services for small-scale (0.1 g to hundreds of grams, 7-day turnaround) and bulk-scale (1 kg to 100 kg) production; (3) AI-enabled Gen2/NextGen enzyme optimisation via a partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks, monetising accumulated customer screening data; and (4) the Commercial Academic Partner (CAP) Programme and Literature Enzyme Service, which commercialise academic enzymes and pay 17.5% and 10% royalties respectively. Customers include 17 of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies, with distribution via direct e-commerce, an exclusive Japan distributor (Meiji Seika Pharma since 2012), and a March 2026 strategic partnership with CDMO SK pharmteco for U.S./Europe/Asia market access. The company is privately held, founder-controlled since inception with no external equity funding rounds recorded, and operates within 11–50 employees.

Name

Prozomix

Legal name

Prozomix Limited

Website

https://prozomix.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Prozomix is a UK biotechnology company that discovers and manufactures a proprietary catalogue of more than 6,000 metagenomic biocatalysis enzymes across 50+ panels, serving 17 of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies via a free-to-screen Biocatalysis Enzyme Toolkit, commoditised catalogue sales, and small- to bulk-scale contract manufacturing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biocatalysis Enzymes / Industrial Biocatalysts

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Other Basic Organic Chemical Manufacturing (32519)

akta.pro primary industry

Enzymes & Industrial Biotechnology Inputs (Enzymes, Microbial Strains, Fermentation Aids) (EUAAAIAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bioprocess Consumables & Reagents (resins, membranes, media components, buffers) (HLAAAJAI)

Keywords

• Biocatalysis enzymes
• Enzyme screening kits
• Metagenomic enzyme discovery
• Contract enzyme manufacturing
• Pharmaceutical biocatalysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Haltwhistle

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Enzyme Product Sales: Prozomix sells its catalogue of over 6,000 biocatalyst enzymes at commoditised global list prices. Customers purchase enzyme hits at any scale (from 100 mg to 100 kg) at known, fixed prices. The model is transaction-based, with volume-based pricing tiers. Pricing is standardised globally with no negotiation required.
2. Contract Manufacturing (CMO) Services: Prozomix provides fee-for-service contract manufacturing of enzymes at small scale (0.1 g to 100s g via the Flask Lab) and bulk scale (1 kg to 100 kg via its Pilot and Production Plants). The company also offers custom CMO services where customers supply their own expression plasmids and Prozomix produces enzyme panels within 7 working days.
3. Commercial Academic Partner (CAP) Programme: Prozomix commercialises academic plasmids encoding recombinant enzymes through its CAP Programme, paying a 17.5% royalty on all sales to the academic contributor. Academic enzymes are made available on Prozomix's shelf, with a 10% gross sales royalty paid to the originating academic.
4. AI Enzyme Optimisation Services: In collaboration with Ginkgo Bioworks, Prozomix offers second generation (Gen2) and next generation (NextGen) AI-powered enzyme solutions derived from customers' historical and new Biocatalysis Enzyme Toolkit screening data, enabling optimisation of biocatalysts for demanding applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Prozomix discovers, manufactures, and supplies highly purified novel enzymes (biocatalysts) for pharmaceutical and industrial biocatalysis. It offers the free Biocatalysis Enzyme Toolkit — over 6,000 native enzymes across 50+ panels — for screening, with hits then purchased at commoditised global prices from 100 mg to 100 kg. The company also provides small-scale and bulk contract manufacturing (CMO) services, AI-optimised Gen2/NextGen enzymes via Ginkgo Bioworks, and academic commercialisation programmes.

Product overview

Prozomix is a UK-based biotechnology company that has developed the largest range of natural maximum-diversity proprietary biocatalysts available via a free-to-use Biocatalysis Enzyme Toolkit. The core offering consists of over 6000 novel enzymes across 50+ distinct enzyme panels (including KREDs with 762 enzymes, IREDs with 500+ enzymes, Transaminases with 480 enzymes, EREDs with 120 enzymes, P450s, Nitrilases, Nitroreductases, and more), all discoverable through free screening before scale-up purchases. The portfolio spans enzyme kits for initial discovery, individual enzyme products from the catalogue, cofactor recycling enzymes and cofactors, AI-enabled enzyme optimization through Ginkgo Bioworks collaboration (Gen2/Nextgen), and comprehensive contract manufacturing services from small-scale (grams) to bulk production (100kg). Additional services include hit improvement programs, academic partnership opportunities, and literature enzyme availability. The company operates from its Haltwhistle, Northumberland facility with in-house R&D, production, and proprietary GRASP™ genome-mining technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Biocatalysis Enzyme Toolkit: Free-to-use enzyme screening toolkit offering maximum diversity proprietary biocatalysts
• GRASP™
• meta-GRASP

Products and services

• Biocatalysis Enzyme Toolkit Free-to-use discovery platform comprising over 6,000 native enzymes across 50+ panels (KREDs, IREDs, Transaminases, EREDs, P450s, Nitrilases, Nitroreductases, 2-OG Hydroxylases, Epoxide Hydrolases, Carboxylesterases), enabling pharmaceutical, CDMO, and industrial customers to screen maximum-diversity biocatalysts for novel applications including API synthesis, flavours, fragrances, food and health. Hits are then purchased at any scale from 100 mg to 100 kg at known commoditised prices.
• Ketoreductase (KRED) Screening Kit Screening kit of 762 diverse wild-type ketoreductase enzymes spanning 8 × 96-well screening plates, also available in colorimetric KREDy-to-Go format, designed for biocatalytic ketone reduction in pharmaceutical and industrial applications.
• Imine Reductase (IRED) Screening Kit Screening kit of over 500 novel imine reductase enzymes (expanding to 762) across 5 screening plates, developed from Prozomix's proprietary metagenomics platform for reductive amination and chiral amine synthesis.
• Transaminase Screening Kit Screening kit of 480 novel wild-type transaminase enzymes across 5 screening plates, including a Class IV Transaminase plate, sourced from UK biodiversity for amine synthesis applications.
• Ene-Reductase (ERED) Screening Kit Screening kit of 120 novel wild-type ene-reductase enzymes covering both FMN- and non-flavin EREDs, with expansion to 384 EREDs targeted by Q4 2024 for C=C bond reduction applications.
• Cytochrome P450 Screening Kit Screening kit of 48 characterised novel cytochrome P450 enzymes, predominantly self-sufficient P450s from Class VII (P450RhF-like) and Class VIII (P450BM3-like) classes, for selective oxidation reactions.
• Nitrilase Screening Kit Screening kit of 96 diverse wild-type nitrilase enzymes available in both vial and plate format for nitrile hydrolysis and carboxylic acid synthesis applications.
• Nitroreductase Screening Kit Screening kit of 160 novel nitroreductase enzymes expanded from an initial 66-enzyme panel designed during the EU H2020 Metafluidics project, for nitro-group reduction applications.
• 2-OG Hydroxylase Screening Kit Screening kit of 70 diverse 2-oxoglutarate-dependent hydroxylase enzymes designed from metagenomic libraries, with 50+ literature enzymes also available for C–H hydroxylation applications.
• Epoxide Hydrolase Screening Kit Screening kit of 96 diverse wild-type epoxide hydrolase enzymes from both the αβ-hydrolase family and limonene EHs, available in vial and plate format for epoxide hydrolysis applications.
• Carboxylesterase Screening Kit Screening kit of 60 carboxylesterase enzymes in vial and plate format, expanding toward 96 enzymes by Q3 2024, for ester hydrolysis and related applications.
• Cofactor Recycling Enzymes Line of 8 cofactor recycling enzymes including formate dehydrogenases (FDH) and glucose dehydrogenases (GDH) for NAD(P)H regeneration in biocatalytic processes.
• Enzyme Cofactors PRO-NAD, PRO-NADH, PRO-NADP, and PRO-NADPH cofactor products for biocatalysis reactions, available in quantities from 0.11 g to 1 kg at unit prices such as PRO-NAD at $19.50/g and PRO-NADPH at $40.00/g.
• AI Enzymes (Gen2/NextGen) Second-generation and next-generation AI-optimised enzyme solutions developed in collaboration with Ginkgo Bioworks, leveraging customer screening data from the Biocatalysis Enzyme Toolkit for superior biocatalyst performance in demanding applications.
• Small-Scale CMO Service Fee-for-service contract manufacturing of enzymes from 0.1 g to 100s of grams with 7-day turnaround from plasmid arrival, utilising 200 enzymes/day Flask Lab capacity and including custom CMO where customers supply their own expression plasmids.
• Bulk CMO Service Fee-for-service large-scale enzyme manufacturing from 1 kg to 100 kg using Prozomix's 750 L Pilot Plant and 3 × 2400 L Production Plant (6,000 L total), with fixed commoditised pricing and long-term dedicated LOT storage.
• Prozomix Promise (Hit Improvement Service) Free-of-charge biocatalyst hit improvement service selecting 12–24 homologues from Prozomix's proprietary metagenomic database to optimise enzyme activity, selectivity, or stability; customers with an existing enzyme hit that is not good enough receive homologues synthesised, cloned, and produced free-of-charge for screening.
• Commercial Academic Partner (CAP) Programme Academic partnership programme enabling rapid commercialisation of recombinant enzymes with a 17.5% royalty paid to the academic contributor on all sales, achieving commercialisation within approximately 3 months.
• Literature Enzyme Request Service Service that makes published biocatalysts available as off-the-shelf products, paying a 10% gross sales royalty to originating academics and providing 2–4 week delivery for new requests.
• Immobilised Enzymes (via CLEA Technologies collaboration) Custom enzyme immobilisation services for Prozomix enzymes (KREDs, EREDs, P450s, nitrilases) provided through collaboration with CLEA Technologies B.V., combining GRASP™ biocatalyst development with CLEA's advanced immobilisation technology.
• CoEBio3 Consortium Products Commercial consortium products including the CoEBio3 P450 Collection and CoEBio3 R-AMO (R-Selective Amine Oxidases) Collection, developed through the Centre of Excellence for Biocatalysis, available at $165.00 per 96-well screening plate (1 mg each enzyme per well).

Quantifiable outcome

• 17 of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies use Prozomix
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SK pharmtecocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2026SK pharmteco, a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), and Prozomix announced a strategic partnership to integrate Prozomix's biocatalyst libraries into SK pharmteco's small-molecule development and manufacturing services. SK pharmteco gains access to over 6,000 diverse native biocatalysts for use across its R&D centers in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, enabling rapid identification of high-performing enzymes for complex active pharmaceutical ingredient synthesis. The partnership aims to accelerate the transition to more sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective pharmaceutical manufacturing processes for clients globally.
• Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 2 April 2012Meiji Seika Pharma Co., LTD. was appointed as Prozomix's exclusive distributor in Japan in April 2012. Meiji hosts a Japanese version of the Prozomix enzyme catalogue on its website, ensuring both good web visibility and efficient customer experience locally in Japan. With their fundamental and applied knowledge of enzyme technology and industrial enzyme capability, this collaboration is an important milestone in Prozomix's global marketing strategy.
• Ginkgo BioworkscoreTechnology or IntegrationProzomix collaborates with Ginkgo Bioworks to leverage customer screening data from the Biocatalysis Enzyme Toolkit, enabling the development of second generation (Gen2) and next generation (NextGen) AI-powered enzyme solutions. Customers can leverage their historical and new Prozomix screening data in collaboration with Ginkgo to unlock unrivalled AI enzyme solutions for demanding applications.
• KYROBIO Consortium (EU FP7-KBBE Programme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs part of a 17-strong academic/commercial EU consortium, Prozomix participated in the €7.8M KYROBIO Project (Grant No. 289646) under the FP7-KBBE Programme, aimed at discovering, developing, and demonstrating biocatalysts for industrial synthesis of chiral chemicals. The consortium included BICT, Ingenza, CLEA Technologies, BioInfoBank Institute, VTU Technology, ACIB, University of Graz, X-Zyme, evocatal, Bio-prodict, University of Manchester, CIKTN, C-Tech Innovation, University of Groningen, University of Stuttgart, and Technical University of Denmark. Prozomix's role was discovery, development, and commercialisation of novel nitrile hydratase biocatalysts.
• Bluetools Consortium (EU Horizon Europe Programme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs part of a 14-strong academic/commercial EU consortium, Prozomix was awarded a Horizon Europe research grant (Project Grant No. 101081957) focused on 'Safely and sustainably utilising marine microbiomes'. Over a 4-year period, Prozomix is using its advanced enzyme capabilities to discover, develop, and commercialise novel biocatalysts from UK marine biodiversity, expanding its collection of Biocatalysis enzymes with new members becoming commercially available through the Biocatalysis Enzyme Toolkit.
• Northumbria UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthumbria University and Prozomix have collaborated on multiple research projects including a BBSRC iCASE Award (2015) focused on novel biocatalytic routes towards volatile sulphur compounds, and a TSB Grant for sustainable flavour compound production from vegetable oil waste streams.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Amano Enzyme: Amano Enzyme is a Japanese specialty enzyme manufacturer with a long-established presence in food, pharmaceutical, and diagnostic enzymes. It is comparable as a broad incumbent in the global enzyme market, with a similar global distribution model and a Japanese home market presence.
• Biosynth: Biosynth (formerly Biosynth Carbosynth) is a large specialty chemicals and life sciences supplier with a growing enzyme and biocatalysis portfolio. It is comparable as a broad incumbent that supplies life science tools and specialty enzymes to pharmaceutical and academic customers globally.
• Novonesis (formerly Novozymes): Novonesis is the world's largest industrial enzyme company, offering a broad portfolio across food, beverage, agriculture, and pharma. While not specialising in pharma API biocatalysis, its scale and R&D resources make it a broad incumbent whose moves into biocatalysis could threaten niche players like Prozomix.
• AB Enzymes (Associated British Foods): AB Enzymes is an established industrial enzyme manufacturer with a broad product portfolio in food, baking, and brewing. It serves as a broad incumbent comparable in the enzyme industry, with significant manufacturing scale and customer relationships.

Emerging players

• Arzeda: Arzeda combines computational protein design with synthetic biology to create novel enzymes for industrial applications. It is comparable as an emerging player in enzyme engineering, taking a competing AI-first approach to the same pharma and industrial customers.
• EnginZyme: EnginZyme is a Swedish company developing immobilised enzyme technology for chemical manufacturing. It is comparable as an emerging player in industrial biocatalysis with overlapping pharma and industrial customer use cases, though its focus is on immobilisation rather than enzyme discovery.
• Bota Bio: Bota Bio is a synthetic biology company developing engineered enzymes and microbes for sustainable chemical and material production. It is comparable as an emerging player in AI-driven enzyme engineering for industrial applications, with overlapping pharmaceutical and specialty chemical customers.

Direct peers

• Codexis: Codexis is a leading enzyme engineering company focused on biocatalysts for pharmaceutical manufacturing, serving the same big-pharma customer base with both native and engineered enzymes. It is the most direct competitor to Prozomix's Biocatalysis Enzyme Toolkit and CMO services.
• c-LEcta (Kerry Group): c-LEcta is a German biocatalysis company developing and commercialising engineered enzymes for pharma, food, and industrial applications, now part of Kerry Group. It directly competes with Prozomix in supplying specialty biocatalysts to pharmaceutical manufacturers.
• Evocatal (acquired by BASF): Evocatal was a German specialty enzyme company focused on biocatalysis for industrial applications, with a comparable product portfolio in oxidoreductases, transaminases, and hydrolases. Acquired by BASF, it represents a direct competitive comparable in the biocatalyst space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/prozomix
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prozomix-limited/about

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Prozomix