eXoZymes wins $2 million NIH grant for cannabinoid analogs

eXoZymes received a $2,028,518 NIH Phase IIB SBIR award to advance rare cannabinoids and cannabinoid analogs for drug discovery. The funding lifts total non-dilutive support for the company and predecessor programs to $19.7 million and starts July 1, 2026.

Why it matters: - The NIH award gives eXoZymes more capital to push cannabinoid analogs toward preclinical testing without diluting shareholders. - The grant supports a field where rare cannabinoids are drawing commercial and pharmaceutical interest, but supply and purity remain major bottlenecks. - eXoZymes says its cell-free platform is meant to produce scarce cannabinoids at scale and high purity, then use them as starting points for new drug-like molecules.

What happened: - eXoZymes said it received a Notice of Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, part of the NIH, for a Phase IIB Small Business Innovation Research grant worth $2,028,518. - The funded work is expected to begin July 1, 2026. - The grant is titled SimplePath IIB: Pre-clinical Development of Cannabinoid Analogs. - eXoZymes will be the prime award recipient. - Dr. Tyler Korman, eXoZymes co-founder and chief scientific officer, will serve as principal investigator. - The program includes a sub-award to the laboratory of Dr. Vikram Shende at Occidental College.

The details: - The grant includes $1,034,289 for the initial budget period and $994,229 for the second year, subject to continued progress and funding availability. - The work will support development of expression systems for cannabinoid cyclase enzymes. - The program will expand the range of cannabinoid analogs eXoZymes can produce. - eXoZymes will also evaluate its existing cannabinoid library in receptor-binding assays using in-house scale capability. - The company said the total non-dilutive funding awarded to eXoZymes and its predecessor programs now stands at $19.7 million. - eXoZymes was founded in 2019 and uses AI-enhanced enzymes, called exozymes, in a cell-free biomanufacturing platform. - The company is building a portfolio that includes cannabinoid analogs, santalene and other high-value molecules. - eXoZymes says potential commercialization paths include partnerships, licensing and joint ventures. - The company is a B2i Digital Featured Company, and its profile is available here. - More information is available at exozymes.com.

Between the lines: - Rare and minor cannabinoids are gaining attention as the U.S. market is forecast to grow from about $11.5 billion in 2023 to $33.3 billion by 2030. - The company is positioning its platform as a way to move the industry from cultivation and extraction toward biotechnology and molecular design. - CEO Michael Heltzen framed the award as validation of a repeatable development engine that could create new proprietary molecules and future licensing opportunities. - Korman said NIH support should help accelerate pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing technologies and expand the set of molecules that could become drug candidates.

What's next: - eXoZymes will begin the NIH-funded work in early July and move toward preclinical evaluation of cannabinoid analogs. - The company aims to generate preclinical data that could support future clinical advancement and partnering discussions. - The grant could help expand eXoZymes' pipeline of cannabinoid-based biosolutions if development milestones are met.

The bottom line: - The NIH award adds non-dilutive funding and external validation for eXoZymes' bet that cell-free enzyme manufacturing can unlock scarce cannabinoids for drug discovery.