Driven to Challenge
the Status Quo

Colleagues at our Augusta BioFacility
The challenges in synthetic biology are real. But we believe in its potential to revolutionize industries. And we have built the capabilities and tools to deliver its benefits. It is what we are here for.

Our purpose is to accelerate the transition to bioalternatives by delivering the benefits of synthetic biology, today.
Colleagues at our
Augusta BioFacility

Replicating Nature.
Delivering Scale.

Unleashing the Potential

With cell factories, everyday complex molecules can be produced locally, reliably, and sustainably, using a combination of synthetic biology and precision fermentation. We are focused on unleashing this potential for the benefit of industry, society, and our planet.

Bridging the Valley of Death

Despite SynBio’s potential benefits, it is still difficult to commercialize these molecules. We are dedicated to helping companies bridge the Valley between the lab and manufacturing scale to ensure promising molecules achieve commercial success.

Delivering the Benefits

We have developed a revolutionary cell factory engineering platform to achieve technical scale-up for any process. Our proven track record with multiple commercialized products demonstrates our capability of bridging the Valley of Death faster and more reliably than anyone else. That is how we are accelerating the transition to bioalternatives and delivering the benefits of synthetic biology, today.

Our roots:
Taking a hands-on approach
to synthetic biology

Born out of MIT, our company was founded on the belief that cell factories can be engineered to be radically more productive and efficient at producing complex molecules than plants. But without the ability to scale, the technology would never fulfill its promise.

Manus operates under the mantra that scale is imperative: We can continuously accelerate the optimization of biocatalysts to perform complex chemistries at scale.

the manus mantra

Manus embodies the real-world application of ideas from the founding team of Dr. Aji Parayil, Dr. Greg Stephanopoulos, and a group of biochemical engineers at MIT who saw the opportunity to address critical gaps in the sustainable sourcing of chemicals and ingredients using biotechnology. Dr. Stephanopoulos, a renowned MIT chemical engineering professor, pioneered the field of metabolic engineering three decades ago and set the stage for developing innovative cell factories that perform novel chemistries. Dr. Parayil and his team expanded on this foundation to industrialize and scale the production of a diverse range of complex, plant-based natural products.

The Latin word “manus” means “hand.” To us, this symbolizes the practical application of these ideas developed at MIT and reflects our commitment to hands-on innovation. “Manus” is also the root word of “manufacturing,” representing our focus on scale, product delivery – and real impact.

It Is all in our name
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Our BioFacility in
Boston, Massachusetts

Our Boston BioFacility is a leading biotech R&D hub, home to top scientists in cell factory engineering and cutting-edge research, driving innovation towards more sustainable solutions and a bioalternative future.

Quantitative analytical characterization
in our Boston BioFacility

Lab technicians in Manus Boston BioFacility
Manus Scientist working with an automated colony picker, plater, and liquid handler, which lets us do cell factory engineering at a higher throughput

Scientists in our Boston BioFacility

A solid media (agar) plate, which lets us array 48 cultures on a single large tray, instead of 48 individual circular plates at Manus

Cell factory engineering at our Boston BioFacility

Our BioFacility in
Augusta, Georgia

Our BioFacility in Augusta is a prominent biotech operation, firmly committed to pioneering sustainable solutions and supporting scale-up through our unique biomanufacturing capabilities.

A fermentation specialist in Manus's Augusta BioFacility

Our Augusta large-scale BioFacility

Manus lab worker in Augusta, GA BioFacility

BioFacility manager in Augusta, Georgia

Our Purpose Drives Us

We exist to accelerate the transition to
bioalternatives by delivering the benefits of synthetic biology, today.

Our Principles Guide Us

At Manus, we are guided by a set of core principles that define our mission and approach to biotechnology. These principles drive our commitment to ethical practices, scientific excellence, and innovation.

Challenging the Status Quo

01

Accelerating the transition of complex molecules to bioalternatives.

Collaborating for Impact

02

Working with value chain partners to successfully commercialize bioalternatives at scale.

Delivering on Promises

03

Getting the job done, delivering the performance and sustainability benefits of synthetic biology.

Our Character Grounds Us

Our character is the foundation of our biotech mission, driving our commitment to ethics, innovation, and positive impact.

Passionate

01

Excited about the potential of what we do, challenging each other, and pushing limits.

Systematic

02

Data and insight-driven, working diligently to be as efficient as possible in everything we do.

Determined

03

Moving fast, looking beyond traditional thinking to find practical solutions to achieving our goals.

Our Senior
Leadership Team

Ajikumar Parayil

CEO
LinkedIn

Christine Santos

CTO
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Julio Ruiz Calderon

CFO
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Hsien-Chung Tseng

Vice President, Business Operations
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Frederik Bjoerndal

Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Marketing Communications
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Joe Shaw

Vice President, Research & Development
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Deirdre Hicks

Senior Director, Human Resources
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Atul Rathod

President, Industrials
LinkedIn

Let’s explore the potential of BioAlternatives in your application.