In recent years, the development momentum of ergothioneine is thriving. According to publicly available data, the global market size of ergothioneine is expected to reach $389 million by 2030, with a CAGR of 38%. Based on the powerful antioxidant properties of ergothioneine at the mitochondrial level and confirmed safety assessment by the European Commission, which found no negative evidence in toxicological studies, ergothioneine is not only considered an ideal anti-aging ingredient in the cosmetics field but also recognized by the biomedical community for its pharmacological effects in improving sleep, preventing cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, liver diseases, and other cellular inflammatory conditions. It is expected to play an infinite application value in dietary supplements, food, and sports nutrition fields.
Ergothioneine (EGT) is a mitochondrial-level super antioxidant widely found in rare mushrooms such as Ganoderma lucidum and matsutake mushrooms. Studies have shown that ergothioneine is the only super antioxidant with a clear action pathway that can deeply penetrate into mitochondria to scavenge free radicals. It is mild, non-irritating, does not require tolerance building, and has no side effects on the human body, making it an ideal anti-aging ingredient.
As the concept of “Chinese Good Formula” suggests, excellent formulas can create outstanding brands, and Chinese ingredient formulas are gradually receiving more attention and recognition. Among the many emerging biotech companies, GeneIII is a typical example. In the just-concluded 2023,GeneIII successfully achieved the cGMP engineering production of 99.97% high-purity ergothioneine, becoming a star ingredient partner of “Chinese Good Formula.” The founder and chairman of GeneIII, Mr. Wei Ding, was selected as the Best CEO of 2023 by the China Beauty Association.
Strong Team: Sixty percent of Ph.D. team, 24/7 “three shifts” crazy research and development
GeneIII’s Bio-Tec Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Nanjing, the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties. It was co-founded by Ding Wei and Dr. Wang Yang, a postdoctoral fellow in biomedical sciences at UIUC, two years ago, and is a synthetic biology company integrating research and development, production, and sales.
Mr. Wei Ding, the founder and chairman of GeneIII, holds a master’s degree in materials engineering from Beijing University of Science and Technology and dual master’s degrees in materials engineering from the University of Nevada, USA. He has served as senior vice president of the A.O. Smith Group and president of A.O. Smith (China) Investment Co., Ltd and Chief Executive Officer of Hengjie Group, and holds more than 20 original patented technologies. Co-founder and chief scientist Dr. Wang Yang is a Ph.D. in pharmacy from Oregon State University, a postdoctoral fellow in biomedical sciences at UIUC, a Zijin Star of Nanjing University of Science and Technology’s Excellent Program, and an entrepreneurial talent. He holds multiple patents in the field of synthetic biology.
It is reported that GeneIII, established in 2021, fully utilizes the scientific research advantages of universities in Nanjing, adheres to the principle of “people first and then things,” and continuously enriches its talent team and integrates external scientific research institute resources to form a competitive barrier for enterprise scientific research strength.
“The principle of ‘people first and then business’ is not valued in many startups. Most founders have misconceptions and think that they need to build up their business first and then hire good talents after they have money. But I have a different view on this.” Wei Ding believes that to start a business, you must first establish a core team of talents and prioritize hiring. Only by selecting the right people can you focus on professional fields and do things well.
Of the employees of GeneIII, more than 60% hold Ph.D. or master’s degrees. To overcome the technical challenges of ergothioneine in fermentation, purification, and mass production, GeneIII’s R&D team works 24/7 in three shifts, sharing data in real-time and relentlessly pursuing research and development with a craftsman’s spirit to achieve the ultimate product quality, efficacy, and user experience.
While focusing on internal research and development, Wei Ding also emphasizes external cooperation and communication. The core of a good formula is good ingredients. Ergothioneine is one of the safe and effective star ingredients, and more people should have a comprehensive understanding of it. From the beginning of entrepreneurship to the present, GeneIII has invited many industry technical experts, independent formulation experts, senior formulation experts from international companies, dermatologists, pharmaceutical laboratory directors from top universities, and top ingredient bloggers for repeated discussions on the positioning, differentiation, and product effects of ergothioneine to make the products more closely aligned with market demand.
High Quality: Ergothioneine with a purity of up to 99.97%
For a long time, due to cost and extraction process limitations, ergothioneine has mainly been added conceptually in trace amounts (10-50PPM) to the high-end product lines of international first-line brands. However, GeneIII’s innovation has achieved the full-scale addition of high-purity ergothioneine, breaking the limitation of this ingredient to only a few high-end brands. By providing high-purity, odorless, and exceptionally stable ergothioneine, the company has also promoted product upgrades in the cosmetics industry.
“Over the past two years, we have achieved full-scale production of ergothioneine through synthetic biology, leading in terms of quality, capacity, and cost. We found that to truly establish commercial competitiveness, it’s not about sprinting a hundred meters but running a 4×100-meter relay, meaning it’s a four-legged relay. Strain construction is just the first leg, fermentation is the second leg, purification is the third leg, and engineering production is the fourth leg. All these four capabilities are indispensable.” shared Ding Wei, founder and chairman of GeneIII.
GeneIII utilizes gene editing technology to insert relevant genes responsible for ergothioneine synthesis into bacterial chromosomes and optimizes the expression patterns of each gene, thereby constructing efficient engineered bacteria for ergothioneine synthesis. Qualified engineered bacteria serve as “seeds” and undergo a series of fermentation optimization processes such as sterile inoculation, fermentation, rough extraction, fine extraction, liquid phase, and efficacy evaluation center. Afterward, the fermentation products are extracted, and strict control is maintained over the raw material crystals, quality, and purity of ergothioneine. This ultimately achieves a raw material purity of 99.97%—higher purity also means better efficacy expression.
In terms of stability, GeneIII has demonstrated outstanding stability of ergothioneine raw materials under various conditions, including light, high temperature, and room temperature under light avoidance. This feature means that ergothioneine can function effectively under different environmental conditions, greatly expanding its potential in various application scenarios. After completing the extraction and purification process, the next step is mass production. GeneIII relies on a pharmaceutical-grade production platform compliant with cGMP to continuously improve the production capacity of ergothioneine.
High Production Capacity: 20-ton Fermentation Tank Purification, Monthly Capacity of 3 Tons
To meet the growing market demand, GeneIII continuously enhances its production capacity. Its ergothioneine production platform meets the cGMP certification standards of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and specializes in the production of characteristic raw materials and drug intermediates mainly based on microbial fermentation. It is reported that cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Process) standards are higher than GMP (Current Good Manufacturing Process), and the requirements for the raw material production process are stricter than traditional GMP. Every detail of the ergothioneine raw material production process of GeneIII has been verified by the FDA, and the raw material quality meets standards such as SGS, CP, USP, EP, JP, and has passed third-party tests for heavy metal content, sensitive skin, and cytotoxicity.
Relying on the cGMP pharmaceutical-grade production platform, GeneIII has quickly mastered the purification technology of 20-ton fermentation tanks, with a monthly capacity of 3 tons, to meet the global market supply demand. Compared to traditional small-scale fermentation, 20-ton fermentation tanks have higher production efficiency and lower unit costs. More importantly, mastering this scale of purification technology makes the production process of ergothioneine more efficient and stable, greatly increasing GeneIII’s ergothioneine production capacity. Currently, GeneIII’s ergothioneine raw materials have obtained international certifications such as FDA, SGS, HALAL, and Kosher, and have been listed on the North American ThomasNet platform.
Cost Reduction: R&D Upgrade, Costs Reduced to 1/10
For end consumers, the accessibility of a product largely depends on its cost and price threshold. Due to its significant antioxidant efficacy, wide application scenarios, and synergistic effects after compounding, ergothioneine has been favored by many domestic and foreign brands and is one of the hottest active ingredients currently. However, for a long time, due to the complex extraction process and high cost, ergothioneine was only added to the products of international first-line skincare brands, and even earned the titles of “new nobility” and “gold” because of it.
Before 2017, ergothioneine could only be extracted from rare mushrooms. Data shows that 1 pound of fresh Ganoderma lucidum contains only 40mg of ergothioneine, so its price once exceeded $30 million per kilogram. With the development of synthetic biology technology, by last year, the price of ergothioneine dropped to $300,000 per kilogram, equivalent to $300 per gram, still a premium price.
To further leverage cost advantages, GeneIII used strain construction and cell factory technology to achieve independent research and development and mass production of ergothioneine, reducing the cost of ergothioneine to 1/10 of its original price, enabling ergothioneine to be added in sufficient quantities. GeneIII’s skincare brand HA&EGT has achieved a breakthrough by adding 1000+PPM of ergothioneine, 50-100 times the amount of similar products.
The original intention of GeneIII is based on this concept: since ergothioneine is a widely recognized super antioxidant ingredient, it should be brought out of the “high-price halo” through the power of technology and truly serve the health and beauty of the public. Through continuous technological innovation and production optimization, GeneIII is turning this vision into reality, driving the development of the entire industry and making ergothioneine no longer unattainable.
Multiple Applications: Internal Regulation and External Nourishment, Dual Care for Skin and Health
With the increasing emphasis on health and beauty in society, the research and application prospects of this natural antioxidant are widely optimistic. Due to its strong safety and stability, it can be widely used in food, medicine, cosmetics, and other fields, and will play a more important role in the health industry.
In 2023, GeneIII independently developed oral ergothioneine capsules were officially launched, selecting GeneIII’s independently developed 99.97% high-purity ergothioneine raw materials, and adding sufficient amounts to oral products. Each capsule contains 25mg of ergothioneine, equivalent to about one pound of fresh Ganoderma lucidum, and demonstrates excellent efficacy in improving sleep, invigorating qi and nourishing blood, and delaying aging.
GeneIII does not stop there. Its future development goal is not to simply position itself as an active ingredient for skincare products or health supplements but to build a professional synthetic biology platform.
In the future, Ding Wei hopes to create a truly competitive enterprise that can lead the future development of the industry. To achieve this goal, GeneIII has achieved a double breakthrough in higher purity and lower cost of ergothioneine through hardcore technology. Technology is the primary productivity, and synthetic biology technology is pushing the rapid development of the cosmetics industry at an unprecedented rate, allowing more consumers to enjoy high-quality products at affordable prices and creating more exciting miracles.
With further research and technological advancements, synthetic biology may bring more unforeseen innovations and applications. GeneIII’s continuous deep cultivation in the field of synthetic biology will lead to what kind of future? It is worth looking forward to!