Digzyme Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Naoki Watarai, hereinafter "Digzyme") and Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Itami City, Hyogo Prefecture, hereinafter "Matsutani Chemical") announce that they have entered into a joint research and development agreement.

Digzyme is a Tokyo Institute of Technology startup with core technology in enzyme development through bioinformatics. The company possesses a proprietary analysis platform that enables the rapid exploration and improvement of a wide variety of enzymes. Since the end of FY 2023, Digzyme has been actively building an enzyme development platform for the food industry.

Founded in 1919, Matsutani Chemical is a comprehensive manufacturer of modified starches and functional materials. With the management philosophy of "Supporting a rich life with starch derived from natural plants," Matsutani Chemical has become a leading pioneer in starch processing, leading research, development, production, and sales of new functional materials both domestically and internationally.

In this joint research, the two companies aim to enhance productivity by modifying the enzymes used in the production of functional materials developed by Matsutani Chemical. Digzyme will use its proprietary platform technology to design enzyme variants, and Matsutani Chemical will evaluate and verify these designs.

Depending on the results of this joint research, the companies plan to eventually conduct verification in Matsutani Chemical's actual manufacturing processes. Additionally, they are also considering initiatives to improve the productivity of various other products.

Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. website: https://www.matsutani.co.jp/