GitLife Biotech is excited to announce the receipt of Innovate UK funding for the development of groundbreaking therapeutic solutions, in collaboration with NCIMB Ltd. This partnership aims to leverage synthetic biology and live bacteria to create new health-enhancing treatments.
Innovate UK Funding Boost
The Innovate UK grant supports a 12-month project focused on using GitLife’s advanced genetic engineering platform, CellRepo®, and their proprietary GenoSegnature® technology. This project will enhance the provenance and integrity of microbial strains, critical for developing reliable and effective live biotherapeutics.
Collaborative Efforts with NCIMB
NCIMB, renowned for its microbial culture collection and biological material preservation, will collaborate with our team here at GitLife Biotech to apply these advanced technologies. This partnership will investigate the therapeutic potential of gut microbes and will aim to develop a new class of therapeutics based on living bacteria that can significantly improve gut health, setting a new standard in live biotherapeutics and paving the way for other leading synthetic biology and synthetic DNA companies. This initiative not only strengthens the capabilities of both organisations but also drives innovation in synthetic biology.
Explaining more about this collaborative project between NCIMB and GitLife Biotech, NCIMB’s CEO Dr Edward Green said: “We will focus on the use of engineering biology to enhance metabolite levels that play an important role in the gut microbiome. If successful, we will develop a new engineered bacterial strain that can be used to maintain a healthy gut microbiome and can therefore be used to prevent or treat disease”.
One of the current challenges in the use of live biotherapeutics is identifying and tracking the specific strain used. At GitLife Biotech we will bring a novel and innovative approach to overcome this difficulty by using ‘DNA barcodes’. These essentially barcode the bacteria to create a transparent digital footprint, and with our DNA barcode library and biosecurity platform we will capture and organise biological data, then link this data to the microbial strain using a unique, non-coding DNA sequence to effortlessly and easily differentiate the engineered strain from similar strains of the same species to facilitate improved strain development capabilities.
Cutting-Edge Technology
GitLife’s CellRepo® platform brings version control to genetic engineering, ensuring precise documentation of every strain modification. The Genostamp™ technology adds an extra layer of traceability, making it easier to track and verify genetic changes. This combination of tools ensures that the live bacterial therapeutics developed are of the highest quality and integrity.
Alastair Orr Ewing, the CEO at GitLife, said: “Our innovative cloud-based platform provides a mechanism to prove ownership and secure engineered assets. While this project is focused on a therapeutic application there are considerable potential benefits for the version control and biosecurity of a wide range of products and applications of engineered microorganisms. As society increasingly looks to microorganisms to provide sustainable solutions in key areas such as health, this technology could have an important role to play”.
Global Impact
The collaboration between GitLife Biotech and NCIMB is set to make a significant impact on the global stage. By harnessing the power of synthetic biology, this project aims to develop therapies that can address a wide range of health issues, from gut health to broader microbiome-related conditions. The funding from Innovate UK is a testament to the potential and importance of this research.
Future Prospects
With this funding, GitLife Biotech and NCIMB are well-positioned to lead advancements in synthetic biology. The project not only promises to deliver innovative therapeutic solutions for engineering biology but also sets a precedent for future collaborations in the biotech industry. This initiative highlights the importance of combining expertise in genetic engineering and microbial management to achieve groundbreaking results.
