Our Pop-Out-PlasmidTM Technology allows to produce Plasmid DNA and Recombinant proteins in E. coli without any selection marker (antibiotic-free) and without adding an inducer like IPTG. As a plus, our technology decouples growth and production stages.
News
3 Jun 2026
NEW PRODUCT: E. coli strain platform for antibiotic-free plasmid DNA production
We are happy to announce the novel Plasmid POP™ line of E. coli cells equipped with Pop-Out-Plasmid™ technologies. We are confident this platform will provide our partners with highly beneficial features:
- Eliminates antibiotics and AMR genes, addressing key safety concerns for regulatory compliance.
- Safely maintained as a single genomic copy during biomass scale-up for superior plasmid stability.
- Growth-decoupled strategy for high yield, reducing metabolic burden during production.
Read more and download our Plasmid POP™ Technology Brief.
6 August 2025
WACKER and Gearbox Biosciences announce strategic collaboration to advance plasmid DNA manufacturing technologies
- The partnership aims to co-develop technologies set to revolutionize manufacturing of plasmid DNA (pDNA), a critical raw material for advanced medicines
- Focus on innovative workflows for antibiotic-free pDNA manufacturing and difficult-to-manufacture sequences
- Joint solutions promise better scalability, efficiency and cost-effectiveness in production
Read the full press release from WACKER’s website.
30 July 2025
Securing grant to advance plasmid production
We are happy to announce that Gearbox Biosciences has secured an applied research grant (RUP) from EIS | Enterprise Estonia to develop new antibiotic-free technology for plasmid production!
We are already using our Pop-Out-Plasmid technology to produce proteins in an antibiotic-free manner in E. coli. With this support, we will adapt the same core technology for plasmid production as well.
Plasmids are crucial components in many gene and cell therapy applications. Omitting the antibiotic resistance marker will make the regulatory process easier and eliminates the risk of spreading resistance in the environment.
Technology
Pop-Out-Plasmid™ (POP) is our advanced core platform for E. coli, engineered to revolutionize both plasmid DNA and recombinant protein production.
In Pop-Out-Plasmid™ technology, the gene of interest is integrated as a single copy into the host chromosome, ensuring rock-solid stability during the biomass growth stage at 30°C. When the culture temperature is switched to 37°C, it triggers a controlled molecular sequence:
1) Decoupled Production: Cell division is safely stopped, decoupling target expression from cellular growth and shifting all metabolic energy exclusively into high-yield production. Read our peer-reviewed research in the ACS Synthetic Biology.
2) High-Quality Plasmid DNA: The system excises and amplifies high-copy, selection-free plasmids that are perfectly suited for gene therapy and vaccine applications.
3) Pure Recombinant Proteins: Plasmid amplification drives high protein expression levels—completely antibiotic-free and without requiring costly chemical inducers like IPTG.
Watch the animation below for visual overview of the Pop-Out-Plasmid™ technology and its benefits.
Team
Gearbox Biosciences is a spin-off company from University of Tartu, Estonia.
Advisors
SIMON TRANCART, CivEng
Advisor
BIO
Simon is an engineer by training (ECP and Poli-USP). He transitioned into biotechnologies in 2013, co-founding biotech companies Heurisko (2013) and Altar (2017) that specialised on technologies of the adaptive laboratory evolution of microorganisms.
Following Altar’s acquisition by Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc. in October 2022, Simon served as the Head of Adaptive Laboratory Evolution at Ginkgo Bioworks. Since October 2024 he has joined Lesaffre. Simon is bringing his valuable biotech startup co-founding and exiting experience to our startup team.
MICHAEL MILLER, PhD
Advisor
BIO
Michael has 17 years of bioindustry experience developing and using state-of-the-art technology to address real-world commercial needs. He brings technical depth in host improvement, enzyme engineering and process development along with practical experience in R&D team management and external technology sourcing.
Michael has worked in technology leadership roles at Genencor/DuPont/IFF and Codexis, Inc. He earned his PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from U.C. Berkeley and was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University.
TRIIN KANNE-CIRIECO, MSc
Advisor
BIO
Triin is an experienced biopharma program leader with a background in biomedical engineering and over a decade of experience across biologics, biosimilars, generic medicines, and OTC drugs. She has held senior roles at CDMOs (Lonza, Celonic, mAbxience) executing complex drug development and manufacturing programs from early stage through commercialization. Earlier work at Sanofi and Zentiva deepened her understanding of commercial strategy, product launches, and the broader industry dynamics.
Based in Switzerland, she has worked in France, Spain, and Estonia, and has coordinated global teams throughout her career.
Collaborations
Contact
We are open for partnering and R&D collaborations.
Our POP technology is available for licensing.
OÜ Gearbox Biosciences
Registry code: 16215205
VAT number: EE102380217
Address:
Nooruse 1, 50411 Tartu
Estonia