Research from the Hoskisson Lab at the University of Strathclyde reveals how multidrug-resistant E. coli use metabolic genes on resistance plasmids to outcompete commensal gut bacteria, even without antibiotic pressure.

Antimicrobial resistance poses a critical global health threat, demanding new strategies beyond drug discovery. Hoskisson Lab's 3,000-generation evolution experiment with Streptomyces bacteria revealed that a single gene mutation drives faster growth and metabolic specialisation under industrial conditions - a finding that could accelerate the engineering of optimised antibiotic-producing strains and strengthen the pipeline against AMR.

This collaboration enabled the successful tenfold scale-up of nucleotide purification for the University of St Andrews, demonstrating how IBioIC’s facilities and expertise can provide targeted scale-up services to academic partners bridging the gap between laboratory research and preparative bioprocessing.

By partnering with IBioIC on this project, MiAlgae were able to obtain a high-value data set which allowed them to refine their downstream processing strategy and move towards full scale-up operations with confidence.

As part of their UKRI Launchpad project for Biomanufacturing in Scotland, NCIMB sought to transition their bench-scale process for producing the enzyme from static flask cultures to a controlled fermentation system suitable for larger-scale enzyme production. To enable this transition, NCIMB subcontracted the fermentation scale-up and enzyme recovery work to the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC), leveraging the FlexBIO facility and technical expertise in bioprocess development and downstream processing.

Successful collaboration between FlexBio and the Edinburgh Genome Foundry demonstrates potential impact for future projects.

This successful project advanced the development of cell lines for cultivated meat and enabled the team to win additional funding to run further projects.

Innovation funding enabled the academic team on this project to optimise their bacteria growing process and gave BAM Ritchies an insight into new opportunities, with the project collaborators set to continue to work together beyond the project.

IBioIC awarded over £8.5k through our Spin Out Fund to Bioenamel to produce human proteins in yeast and test them on surfaces that mimicked damaged teeth.

IBioIC funded a collaboration between 3F BIO and the University of Strathclyde to develop and test a sustainable protein production process which advanced the company's progress towards commercialisation.

SLG Technology is exploring new biotechnologies to convert the byproducts of leather processing into high-value protein for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and supplements.

Oxford Biotrans aimed to test additional parameters for process improvement using the twin fed-batch system available at IBioIC's RapidBio facility.

Scientists at the University of Bristol discovered a probiotic strain of Streptococcus thermophilus which had been found to have a variety of health benefits. Unfortunately, the media on which it was grown rendered it unsuitable for human consumption. Our Technical Team were approached to develop a new media which would provide similar cell growth and facilitate a commercially viable product.

MiAlgae successfully carried out early stage bioprocess development work within IBioIC's bioprocessing facilities in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

3F BIO delivered their 18-month Proof of Concept programme whilst commissioning their equipment and operating systems within RapidBio, our facility in Glasgow.

Investigation of harvesting strategy of E.coli cells for the production of a novel treatment against Clostridium difficile infection (CDI).

Marine Biopolymers Limited and Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences (SIPBS) worked together on the development of high-value compounds from Bacillus licheniformis