Business Roundup

Mitsui Chemicals has acquired Cotec, a German maker of hydrophobic and antireflective coatings. Mitsui says the purchase boosts its coatings offerings for the ophthalmic lens market.

Adaptive Surface Technologies (AST), one of C&EN’s 10 Start-Ups to Watch in 2015, will work with Sabic to develop packaging for viscous liquids using its Slips line of nonstick surface coatings. In addition, AST has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Anzu Partners and others.

Nippon Shokubai will expand a facility in Chiba, Japan, that makes lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries. The firm says it is also considering building a plant in Europe after 2025.

Chemetry and Permascand, a provider of electrochemical technology, are teaming up to commercialize Chemetry’s three-chamber electrochemical cell. The cell is at the heart of processes the start-up is developing for ethylene dichloride and propylene oxide.

Azul 3D has signed a development agreement with DuPont Electronics & Imaging. Azul is developing a stereolithographic 3-D printing platform that it says is very fast and can print over large areas.

Firmenich has developed what it calls the world’s first flavor created with artificial intelligence. Working with Microsoft, the Swiss firm matched up data on raw materials and consumer insights to create a natural flavor that tastes like grilled beef for use in meat substitutes.

Federation Bio has launched with $50 million in series A financing to develop microbial therapeutics. The California company’s lead product, set to enter the clinic in 2022, is a treatment for secondary hyperoxaluria, a serious renal condition.

Genentech has agreed to license a cancer vaccine candidate from the Norwegian biotech firm Vaccibody for $200 million. Under the agreement, Vaccibody’s VB10.NEO will be developed for clinical trials.