Isomerase and BugBiome partner for agriculture innovation
The all-Cambridge alliance aims to accelerate the discovery of bioactive compounds from unexplored microbial sources. This will involve combining Isomerase’s extensive collection of actinomycetes with BugBiome’s insect behavioural screening platform, AvidX, to develop sustainable agricultural solutions.
As part of the tie-up, BugBiome will gain non-exclusive research access to Isomerase’s collection of around 7,000 proprietary actinomycete strains.
It says these have demonstrated ‘a remarkable range of activity, having been tested against a variety of pathogens and evaluated for various biological activities, including cytostatic, enzyme inhibition, and virus inhibition.’
The strains are part of Isomerase’s extensive microbial collection, which includes almost 20,000 prokaryotic and eukaryotic isolates. BugBiome will evaluate the actinomycete strains to identify actives that effectively deter important crop pests while protecting beneficial organisms and minimising environmental impact.
BugBiome has the option to secure exclusive commercial rights to strains of particular interest. Financial terms of the deal are not being disclosed.
The collaboration underscores the shared commitment of both companies to reduce reliance on synthetic pesticides, protect ecosystems and deliver innovative solutions to meet global agricultural challenges.
Dr Alicia Showering, CEO and co-founder of BugBiome, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Isomerase and gain access to their extensive collection of over 7,000 high-quality actinomycete strains.
“This partnership complements BugBiome’s in-house bioprospecting efforts, and we’re excited about its potential to generate targeted bioinsecticides that can protect significant crops globally.”
BugBiome is backed by Cambridge Angels, Discovery Park Ventures and IndieBio/SOSV.
Synthetic biology business Isomerase is at the forefront of microbial and process discovery and development. Its expertise spans protein discovery and engineering, strain engineering, USP/DSP development, biocatalysis, and more. Its mission is to support its partners in transforming early-stage concepts into commercially viable products, driving progress from initial discovery through to scaled manufacture. It offers those capabilities from modern labs on Chesterford Research Park and Solopark, near Cambridge.