Bioadhesive technology built for where conventional adhesives fail.
AdheSyn is engineering a non-toxic, biodegradable, wet-active adhesive — inspired by mussels and powered by synthetic biology.
Every industry that operates near water shares the same unsolved frustration.
The adhesives and sealants holding up our most critical marine, subsea, and coastal infrastructure fail the moment surfaces get wet — and the chemistries that do work are toxic, banned, or on borrowed time.
global marine sealants market actively seeking non-toxic, wet-surface alternatives.
cause of subsea infrastructure failure is adhesive and coating breakdown in wet environments.
deadline by which major toxic marine antifouling compounds are banned under international regulation.
Think of AdheSyn as a biological superglue.
Mussels cling to wave-battered rocks using specialised proteins that bond to almost any surface when wet. AdheSyn rebuilds that mechanism with synthetic biology — producing adhesive nanofibres from engineered protein combinations that are wet-active, biocompatible, biodegradable, reversible, and sustainable.
A precision-engineered protein, sustainably produced by microbes and computationally optimised to find the highest-performing combination — no high-temperature processing, no formaldehyde, no toxic byproducts.
A precision-engineered protein, sustainably produced.
We fuse the adhesive proteins of mussels with a self-assembling structural protein from bacteria. The result is an adhesive nanofibre platform designed for the surfaces — and the standards — that conventional chemistry can't meet.
- Protein-based adhesive inspired by mussel adhesion
- Self-assembling structural proteins
- Engineered bacterial production
- AI-assisted optimisation of protein combinations
- No high-temperature processing
- No formaldehyde
- No toxic byproducts
Unlike many synthetic adhesives, AdheSyn is designed for environments where safety, biodegradability, and wet-surface performance matter.
We're building a platform — not a single product — so the same protein scaffold can be tuned for subsea infrastructure, defence, aquaculture, and conservation.
Built for the surfaces our infrastructure depends on.
From offshore platforms to coral reefs, AdheSyn is being designed to translate from lab to industry — across sectors where downtime, toxicity, and failure under water all cost too much.
Oil & Gas
Seal subsea pipelines and offshore platform components without dewatering — keeping operations live, costs down, and crews out of risk.
Naval Defence
Performance-certified adhesives engineered for the Royal Australian Navy's infrastructure and other defence-grade marine environments.
Aquaculture
Attach shellfish and oysters to cultivation ropes without mechanical fastening — lower labour, less stress, healthier stock.
Marine Conservation
Coral reef restoration and aquatic animal care — bonding what's broken without leaching the toxic chemistries today's adhesives rely on.
Partner with a team building the next generation of sustainable adhesives.
AdheSyn is seeking partners across sectors where durable, sustainable adhesive technologies have real-world relevance — and where early collaboration unlocks first access to the platform.
Who we're looking to work with
- Marine and maritime operations
- Naval and defence contractors
- Offshore energy
- Aquaculture and coastal industries
- Sustainable materials and advanced manufacturing
What sponsorship supports
- Travel and accommodation
- Event participation
- Team materials and uniforms
- Operational project costs
- Conservation and community engagement initiatives
A multidisciplinary student team building a platform beyond the competition.
We are AdheSyn — students from biotechnology, biochemistry, and chemical engineering bringing together the disciplines synthetic biology needs to move ideas from competition bench to commercial relevance.
Let's start a conversation.
Tell us a little about you and your interest. The AdheSyn team responds personally to every enquiry.