Xylome

About Xylome

Xylome Corporation operates at the intersection of synthetic biology and sustainable ingredients, leveraging its deep expertise in non-conventional yeasts to address significant market needs. The company was founded in 2013 by Dr. Thomas W. Jeffries, a distinguished scientist with a forty-year career in microbial biochemistry and yeast metabolic engineering. His extensive background includes serving as a Senior Scientist at the USDA Forest Products Laboratory and as a Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, providing a rich foundation for Xylome's scientific direction. He is joined by CEO Dr. Thomas Kelleher, a seasoned biotechnologist with over three decades of experience in industrial biopharmaceutical production, including key roles at Amgen and Cubist.

The core of Xylome's business is the metabolic engineering of proprietary yeast strains, particularly *Lipomyces starkeyi*, to produce high-value, sustainable products. Through a precision fermentation process that uses sugar as a feedstock, the company manufactures bio-identical alternatives to ingredients with problematic supply chains. This business model positions Xylome to serve large industrial clients by developing specific yeast strains to convert low-value organic materials into high-value, sellable products. Its revenue generation is centered on the sale of these proprietary bio-based ingredients to various industries.

Xylome's product portfolio targets three primary markets: beauty and personal care, food and beverage, and pharmaceuticals. A flagship product is Yoil®, a multifunctional lipid that serves as a bio-identical replacement for refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) palm oil, an ingredient prevalent in food and cosmetics but linked to deforestation. Yoil® is designed to mimic the functionality, texture, and purity of palm oil, offering a consistent and allergen-free alternative. For the personal care sector, the company has also developed Yoil-Cream®, an emulsifier-free cream base derived from purified lipid bodies created during fermentation. In the pharmaceutical space, Xylome utilizes its lipid-based technology to develop advanced excipient systems for topical drug delivery. A significant internal program involves the development of a novel antifungal agent for severe burns, under a worldwide license agreement with the University of Wisconsin.