Genes-to-Kilos Industrial Biocatalyst Process

Achievements

CoEBio3 recruited a full time staff of five and moved into the Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre during Q2 2006. By Q1 2007, it had 17 fee paying industrial affiliates including Pfizer, Astra Zeneca and Merck (US) who between them now commission almost £500k per annum of research at Manchester and York Universities. CoEBio3 also undertakes one-to-one contract research projects and by the beginning of 2009 had secured almost £4million from industry in the UK and overseas. CoEBio3 and CPI jointly offer to the market a ​‘Genes to Kilos’ capability. In summary, this is the complete set of requisite disciplines, knowledge and know-how necessary to develop any or all parts of an industrial process that employs an enzyme (a biocatalyst). This comprises inter alia: the identification of the gene sequence that expresses the enzyme; the subsequent mutagenesis of the enzyme to improve its biocatalytic properties; the isolation of the enzyme and its cloning into a suitable microbial host; the development of a robust industrial process at pilot scale using the enzyme. The unique feature of this capability is that it exists within one centrally managed organisation. A number of other public and private organisations in the world have some of the individual disciplines, knowledge and know-how, but none of them is able to offer the entire package. This joint ​‘Genes to Kilos’ capability has been exploited to produce larger quantities of enzymes to enable the industrial affiliates to carry out screening trials of promising biocatalysts that have been developed during CoEBio3 research projects. Following transfer of the small scale fermentations to the NIBF, the processes have been scaled up to supply the required quantities of enzymes for evaluation.