We are excited to welcome a new supplier of innovative and sustainable active ingredients to our portfolio: Transactiva is an Italian research company specialising in the development and production of complex pharmaceutical and bioactive molecules.

But let's start at the beginning: in December last year, we visited our new partner Transactiva in Italy to kick off our collaboration. There, we were able to see for ourselves what we had previously only known from documentation, meetings and emails. And that's exactly where we're taking you in this blog post.

How beautiful Trieste is

Travelling to Italy in winter is a wonderful idea: even in the north of Italy, the sun shines more often than here, and a view of the sea always makes you happy. When we arrived in Trieste, we were amazed at the beauty of the city. The magnificent Unity Square opens directly onto the sea and invites you to take a stroll along the shore and through the historic centre. Trieste has long been recognised as a city of literature, with famous writers such as James Joyce having spent time here. Today, Trieste is considered one of the most important research centres in Europe - how fitting for our project here.

How Transactiva was founded

The next morning we travelled directly to Udine, a small town about 60 km from Trieste. The European research centre Friuli Innovazione, which is also home to Transactiva, is located on the outskirts of the city. We are warmly welcomed by the team there.

Transactiva was founded in 2001 by Managing Director Bruno Bembi, a doctor and expert in rare diseases and metabolic disorders. As a paediatric geneticist and specialist in protein therapy, he developed an innovative biotechnological process to produce the complex active ingredients required: This involves using plants as natural bioreactors. The synthesis of proteins by the plants enables the production of ‘green’ active ingredients with a precisely defined composition and high efficacy. Together with two colleagues who brought knowledge and experience in the fields of molecular biology and genetic engineering, he set up the plant molecular farming needed for this (more on this below).

A few years ago, Bruno came up with the idea of using such active ingredients to treat skin problems. He intensively researched alternatives to topically applied cortisone, which can unfortunately damage the skin in the long term. His research results showed that special plant proteins can also be helpful for dermatitis or acne. Since 2022, Transactiva has been developing customised cosmetic active ingredients for skin care.

How Plant Molecular Farming works

During our tour of the company building, we were also invited to take a look at the heart of Transactiva. The plants for the Plant Molecular Farming mentioned above are grown in the protected facilities. The conditions there are controlled, so pesticides are not needed for cultivation.
Vertical farming indoors begins with the germination of the tiny seeds of the Australian tobacco plant N. benthamiana. The plant, which is native to Australia, is considered a medicinal plant and is used as a model organism in research.

The seedlings are irradiated with LED lights (hence the pink-coloured light in the photo above) to ensure optimal growing conditions. The plants then grow on sponges soaked in nutrient solution for a few weeks - soil is not used due to potential pathogens.

Once the leaves of the plants are large enough, they are ‘infected’ with a selected bacterium (Agrobacterium tumefaciens, the gold standard in science). The bacterium carries a specific DNA sequence, which is transferred to the leaves of the plants, whereupon they start producing the desired protein. As the transformation is only transient, the plant is not systemically affected.

How LenEasy® is produced

Now we are slowly getting closer to the cosmetic active ingredient: the leaves of the Australian tobacco plant N. benthamiana that form the proteins are first extracted in a macerate. After subsequent purification and filtration of the biomass, the proteins are selected according to size and concentrated. Chromatography is used to separate the protein fragments of different sizes.
The process is completed with a complex quality control and residue analysis. In order to preserve the liquid active ingredient, preservatives are added.

Molecular biologist Dr Caterina Deganutti (pictured above) explained to us in detail how the specific activity of the LenEasy® polypeptide modulates the skin's inflammatory response in an exceptionally short time. The ingredient, which acts like a soothing antibody in the skin, has been confirmed by Cosmos and is non-GMO.

How Transactiva develops an active ingredient

At the end of our tour, we wanted to know how product development works at Transactiva. The starting point is always a problem (in our case a skin problem), for which a corresponding target protein is then identified and produced with the help of the plant bioreactors.

The efficacy is proven by scientific studies. As the research is time-consuming, it takes over a year to complete the development process. Transactiva always prioritises the efficacy and safety of the active ingredient: numerous in vitro and in vivo studies are carried out before an active ingredient is launched.

We can therefore look forward to further innovative active ingredients from Transactiva in the future that combine nature, biotechnology, safety, the highest research standards and efficacy.

A great collaboration

Of course, we didn't leave Italy without eating a delicious pizza with the whole team during our lunch break. To round off our visit, Bruno and Caterina took us to a trattoria for a typical Italian dinner. See you soon and cheers to a great co-operation!

We would be delighted to present the active cosmetic ingredient LenEasy® and its efficacy to you in detail. You can find a first overview on our product highlights page.