IBCarb - Glycoscience Tools for Biotechnology and Bioenergy
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: Chemistry
Abstract
Carbohydrates constitute the largest source of biomass on Earth and their exploitation for novel applications in biomaterials, energy, food and health will be critical in moving away from dependence on hydrocarbons to develop sustainable biotechnologies and reduce GHG emissions, ensuring both energy and food security. Glycoscience is a broad term used for all research and technology involving carbohydrates, ranging from cell biology, human nutrition and medicine to carbohydrate-based materials and the conversion of carbohydrates to energy. The analysis, synthesis and biosynthesis of carbohydrates and their modification to industrial products are, therefore, central challenges in both industrial biotechnology and bioenergy.
The last twenty years have seen a number of fundamental changes in the Glycosciences generating a technology push with respect to carbohydrate synthesis and modification, enzymology and glycomic analysis. At the same time, there is a technology pull - great demand and opportunities in diverse areas such as biopharmaceuticals (8 out of 10 top selling drugs worldwide are glycoproteins), foods (prebiotics designed for the human gut microbiota), antimicrobials (targeting cell surface recognition and biosynthesis), materials (from biorenewable polysaccharides) or energy (digesting the indigestible).
In a number of policy meetings the international Glycoscience community with leadership from a number of UK academics has identified an urgent need to form an interdisciplinary network, IBCarb, to allow for exploitation of opportunities presented by Glycoscience.
The last twenty years have seen a number of fundamental changes in the Glycosciences generating a technology push with respect to carbohydrate synthesis and modification, enzymology and glycomic analysis. At the same time, there is a technology pull - great demand and opportunities in diverse areas such as biopharmaceuticals (8 out of 10 top selling drugs worldwide are glycoproteins), foods (prebiotics designed for the human gut microbiota), antimicrobials (targeting cell surface recognition and biosynthesis), materials (from biorenewable polysaccharides) or energy (digesting the indigestible).
In a number of policy meetings the international Glycoscience community with leadership from a number of UK academics has identified an urgent need to form an interdisciplinary network, IBCarb, to allow for exploitation of opportunities presented by Glycoscience.
Technical Summary
Carbohydrates constitute the largest source of biomass on Earth and their exploitation for novel applications in biomaterials, energy, food and health will be critical in moving away from dependence on hydrocarbons to develop sustainable biotechnologies and reduce GHG emissions, ensuring both energy and food security. Glycoscience is a broad term used for all research and technology involving carbohydrates, ranging from cell biology, human nutrition and medicine to carbohydrate-based materials and the conversion of carbohydrates to energy. The analysis, synthesis and biosynthesis of carbohydrates and their modification to industrial products are, therefore, central challenges in both industrial biotechnology and bioenergy.
The last twenty years have seen a number of fundamental changes in the Glycosciences generating a technology push with respect to carbohydrate synthesis and modification, enzymology and glycomic analysis. At the same time, there is a technology pull - great demand and opportunities in diverse areas such as biopharmaceuticals (8 out of 10 top selling drugs worldwide are glycoproteins), foods (prebiotics designed for the human gut microbiota), antimicrobials (targeting cell surface recognition and biosynthesis), materials (from biorenewable polysaccharides) or energy (digesting the indigestible).
In a number of policy meetings the international Glycoscience community with leadership from a number of UK academics has identified an urgent need to form an interdisciplinary network, IBCarb, to allow for exploitation of opportunities presented by Glycoscience.
The last twenty years have seen a number of fundamental changes in the Glycosciences generating a technology push with respect to carbohydrate synthesis and modification, enzymology and glycomic analysis. At the same time, there is a technology pull - great demand and opportunities in diverse areas such as biopharmaceuticals (8 out of 10 top selling drugs worldwide are glycoproteins), foods (prebiotics designed for the human gut microbiota), antimicrobials (targeting cell surface recognition and biosynthesis), materials (from biorenewable polysaccharides) or energy (digesting the indigestible).
In a number of policy meetings the international Glycoscience community with leadership from a number of UK academics has identified an urgent need to form an interdisciplinary network, IBCarb, to allow for exploitation of opportunities presented by Glycoscience.
Planned Impact
. Who will benefit from this research?
IBCarb will bring together a multi-disciplinary, academia-industry network to review and address the outstanding Glycoscience challenges of the day. Activities will be of direct relevance to:
*Industries associated with Health; Renewable Materials, Chemicals and Energy; Food.
*Academics interested in carbohydrates in general, structural analysis, synthesis, biotransformations and materials more specifically.
*National and international Governments and policy makers involved in sustainable development and environmental impact.
*Public sector entities, such as schools, looking to raise awareness of diet-health, renewable chemicals and biodegradable materials.
*The wider public, with a general miss-guided perception that "sugars are bad for you".
. How will they benefit from this research?
*Awareness of glycoscience opportunities will be raised with industry, presenting new opportunities for: biomarker discovery, biopharmaceutical quality control and drug targeting; biomass conversion and the generation of novel functional biopolymers, platform chemicals and energy supplies; development of novel prebiotic sugars to control gut microbiota, low calorie natural sweeteners and designer polysaccharides with functional food potential. As such, glycoscience presents new market opportunities.
*Academia will benefit from new opportunities to up-skill in carbohydrate chemistry and biology, increased academia-industry engagement, and access to seed corn funds to establish new interdisciplinary research and development programmes, and to develop preliminary data for larger applications.
*Through the proposed IBCarb Roadmap, National and international Governments and policy makers will be better aware of the opportunities that glycotools and sustainable carbohydrate biomass feedstocks have to underpin the health, chemicals, energy and food sectors.
*Outreach activities will increase awareness amongst school pupils and the public at large about the many and varied applications and benefits of carbohydrates. More directly they will benefit from improved technologies and products arising from (e.g. diagnostics, nutraceuticals, alternatives to antibiotics, biodegradable plastics, cleaner energy).
.What will be done to ensure that they have the opportunity to benefit from this research?
IBCarb will hold annual meetings with international lecturers and extensive poster sessions. Satellite activities will include: sandpits, mentoring for PhD/postdoc projects, open forum discussion on glycobiotechnology challenges, scientific speed-dating for academics and industrialists. Newsletters and a website will provide links to resources, eg on-line tools in the social media and 'You-Tube' videos to bring glycoscience to the wider community. Proof of Concept Funds will support R+D projects, which will be focussed on strategic areas of glycobiotechnology and used to work up project ideas for applications for RCUK, Horizon 2020 and IBCatalyst Funding.
Training courses, for academia and industry, will be feature of the network, providing a basic introduction in glycotechnology through advanced hands-on and theoretical training courses, as well as providing access to specialised facilities.
A key element of IBCarb activities will be the development of a Glycoscience Roadmap, which will provide a strategic overview of the opportunities for carbohydrate IBBE. This will result in solicitation of targeted investment, the development of new technologies, processes and products, resulting is targeted investment and creating new commercial and job opportunities cross-sector.
Building on our recent highly successful exhibit (Complex Life of Sugars) at the Royal Society Summer Exhibition 2013 (over 12,000 visitors), for outreach activities we will generate core components (experiment, films, videos) for an 'IBCarb roadshow', which will be used to promote opportunites to policy makes and the public.
IBCarb will bring together a multi-disciplinary, academia-industry network to review and address the outstanding Glycoscience challenges of the day. Activities will be of direct relevance to:
*Industries associated with Health; Renewable Materials, Chemicals and Energy; Food.
*Academics interested in carbohydrates in general, structural analysis, synthesis, biotransformations and materials more specifically.
*National and international Governments and policy makers involved in sustainable development and environmental impact.
*Public sector entities, such as schools, looking to raise awareness of diet-health, renewable chemicals and biodegradable materials.
*The wider public, with a general miss-guided perception that "sugars are bad for you".
. How will they benefit from this research?
*Awareness of glycoscience opportunities will be raised with industry, presenting new opportunities for: biomarker discovery, biopharmaceutical quality control and drug targeting; biomass conversion and the generation of novel functional biopolymers, platform chemicals and energy supplies; development of novel prebiotic sugars to control gut microbiota, low calorie natural sweeteners and designer polysaccharides with functional food potential. As such, glycoscience presents new market opportunities.
*Academia will benefit from new opportunities to up-skill in carbohydrate chemistry and biology, increased academia-industry engagement, and access to seed corn funds to establish new interdisciplinary research and development programmes, and to develop preliminary data for larger applications.
*Through the proposed IBCarb Roadmap, National and international Governments and policy makers will be better aware of the opportunities that glycotools and sustainable carbohydrate biomass feedstocks have to underpin the health, chemicals, energy and food sectors.
*Outreach activities will increase awareness amongst school pupils and the public at large about the many and varied applications and benefits of carbohydrates. More directly they will benefit from improved technologies and products arising from (e.g. diagnostics, nutraceuticals, alternatives to antibiotics, biodegradable plastics, cleaner energy).
.What will be done to ensure that they have the opportunity to benefit from this research?
IBCarb will hold annual meetings with international lecturers and extensive poster sessions. Satellite activities will include: sandpits, mentoring for PhD/postdoc projects, open forum discussion on glycobiotechnology challenges, scientific speed-dating for academics and industrialists. Newsletters and a website will provide links to resources, eg on-line tools in the social media and 'You-Tube' videos to bring glycoscience to the wider community. Proof of Concept Funds will support R+D projects, which will be focussed on strategic areas of glycobiotechnology and used to work up project ideas for applications for RCUK, Horizon 2020 and IBCatalyst Funding.
Training courses, for academia and industry, will be feature of the network, providing a basic introduction in glycotechnology through advanced hands-on and theoretical training courses, as well as providing access to specialised facilities.
A key element of IBCarb activities will be the development of a Glycoscience Roadmap, which will provide a strategic overview of the opportunities for carbohydrate IBBE. This will result in solicitation of targeted investment, the development of new technologies, processes and products, resulting is targeted investment and creating new commercial and job opportunities cross-sector.
Building on our recent highly successful exhibit (Complex Life of Sugars) at the Royal Society Summer Exhibition 2013 (over 12,000 visitors), for outreach activities we will generate core components (experiment, films, videos) for an 'IBCarb roadshow', which will be used to promote opportunites to policy makes and the public.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Sabine Flitsch (Principal Investigator) | |
| Rob Field (Co-Investigator) |
Publications
Bulmer G
(2021)
A promiscuous glycosyltransferase generates poly-ß-1,4-glucan derivatives that facilitate mass spectrometry-based detection of cellulolytic enzymes
in Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry
Edwards A
(2021)
Additive manufacturing of multielectrode arrays for biotechnological applications
in Materials Advances
Gray CJ
(2019)
Advancing Solutions to the Carbohydrate Sequencing Challenge.
in Journal of the American Chemical Society
Potter GT
(2016)
An Updated Synthesis of the Diazo-Transfer Reagent Imidazole-1-sulfonyl Azide Hydrogen Sulfate.
in The Journal of organic chemistry
Gray C
(2016)
Applications of ion mobility mass spectrometry for high throughput, high resolution glycan analysis
in Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects
Adamova P
(2023)
Are there foetal extracellular vesicles in maternal blood? Prospects for diagnostic biomarker discovery.
in Journal of molecular medicine (Berlin, Germany)
Weise N
(2020)
Bi-enzymatic Conversion of Cinnamic Acids to 2-Arylethylamines
in ChemCatChem
Cosgrove S
(2019)
Biocatalytic Oxidation in Continuous Flow for the Generation of Carbohydrate Dialdehydes
in ACS Catalysis
Gray CJ
(2017)
Bottom-Up Elucidation of Glycosidic Bond Stereochemistry.
in Analytical chemistry
Valverde P
(2020)
Chemoenzymatic synthesis of 3-deoxy-3-fluoro-l-fucose and its enzymatic incorporation into glycoconjugates.
in Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)
| Title | IBCarb 'Sweet Existence' Art Exhibition Launch - 6th July 2015, Manchester |
| Description | IBCarb is delighted to present 'Sweet Existence' by artist Karen Barber - a vibrant, colourful collection of abstract paintings that showcase the incredibly diverse and vital roles of sugars. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| Impact | Sweet Existence will be showcased across the UK in a variety of locations and as part of various meetings and events. We also encourage the use of the images in publications and materials. The artwork has been commissioned as a starting point for conversations with non-scientists on the role of sugars in nature. It will reach a new target audience previously not encountered by demonstration and scientific exhibition style events. The paintings have been hosted at The Manchester Museum and may become art of an exhibition at Manchester Airport for the European City of Science event in June 2016. |
| URL | http://ibcarb.com/sweet-existence/ |
| Description | Impact on UK industrial sector: Given that the IBCarb network is primarily focused on tools it is not surprising that this is area that we have had most activity and impact, especially in the analytical sciences which impacts all industrial sectors. This is evidenced by the number of collaborative funding applications between our members under our Tools remit (8 of 12 Business Interaction Vouchers awarded and 6 of 8 Proof of Concept projects awarded). In addition, 2 spin-out companies have formed to capitalise on ideas formed and needs established through discussions with industry delegates at IBCarb network events. Bio-Shape Ltd - is a contract analytical company that offers ion mobility separation coupled with mass spectrometry detection to determine the size and shape of biomolecules such as proteins and glycans. Established by network members Sabine Flitsch (University of Manchester), Perdita Barran (University of Manchester), Claire Eyers (University of Liverpool) and Hannah Roberts (University of Manchester). http://bio-shape.com Iceni Diagnostics - is a contract research company offering a rapid diagnostic testing technique using nano-gold particles employing recent discoveries in glyco-biology established by Rob Field (JIC). http://www.norwichresearchpark.com/space/parkdirectory/icenidiagnostics.aspx Two network members are currently participating in Pitch@Palace - http://pitchatpalace.com, Hannah Roberts (Bio-Shape Ltd) and Jerry Turnbull (Intellihep). This is a high profile event that provides support for entrepreneurs which will undoubtedly raise the profile of capabilities within IBCarb further to the wider biotech community. An additional resource now available as a result of early IBCarb community discussions to industry members is Glyconeer - an automated carbohydrate synthesiser recently installed at the University of York. Impact on academic sector: IBCarb has actively encouraged younger researchers, especially PhDs and PDRAs to attend IBCarb events. This is facilitated through the availability of travel bursaries for ECR members to attend events. We anticipate this will encourage younger researchers to consider careers outside academia in the IB sector and allow them to establish the necessary industrial connections for that next career step through networking at IBCarb events. There are also examples of early career academics who have already hugely benefitted from participating in network events. As a result of discussions at one of the first IBCarb events, 'Glycoscience Tools for Bioindustries,' Dr Martin Fascione, (University of York), co-ordinated a consortium bid for BBSRC ALERT-14 funding for the 'Glyconeer' project, headed by leading carbohydrate chemist Professor Gideon Davies (YSBL). The project is a multi -disciplinary collaboration between the Departments of Chemistry and Biology at York and scientists at the universities of Leeds, Oxford, Liverpool, Manchester and Imperial College London. Recently installed, this will prove to be a useful addition to the glyco-biotechnological tool kit available to researchers in the UK (see Q1). Sarah Allman (Open University) - 'I participated in the IBCarb event 'Glycan Microarrays 2.0' where the idea for the IB Catalyst project 'Chemo-enzymatic production of specialty glycans' was identified. As a result, I am a participating member of this project consortium - a fantastic opportunity for me at this stage of my academic career, which possibly would not have happened had I not engaged with IBCarb.' |
| Exploitation Route | We are currently driving an initiative on the 'Metrology of Carbohydrates', which requires close interaction between industry and academia. IBCarb has recently hosted a workshop which was attended by ~57 delegates from a range of industries and academics from across the EU. This was a scoping workshop focusing on future metrology and analytical science needs over the next decade concerning carbohydrates and glycoconjugates, with particular reference to structure determination, sequencing, modeling, databases and standards. There were 22 flash presentations from the majority of the industry delegates (x30) present to establish the current state of the art and gaps in capabilities, and to formulate a list of potential metrology and measurement challenges, current & future, in various application areas. In order to maintain the momentum we are working to secure further funding to support the initiative (e.g. Horizon 2020 Coordination & Support Actions, COST Actions). |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Chemicals,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Environment,Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| URL | http://ibcarb.com/ |
| Description | Through interactive workshops new relationships between industry and academia have resulted in over £12.5M of external funded projects and £654,919 of BBSRC IBCarb funded translational projects. Highlights include: BBSRC ALERT 14 'Glyconeer' £320K PI: Martin Fascione ERA-CAPS 'Designing starch: harnessing carbohydrate polymer synthesis in plants' £1.25M PI: Rob Field IBCatalyst 'Glycoenzymes for Bioindustries' £3.7M PI: Sabine Flitsch IBCatalyst 'Chemo-enzymatic Production of Specialty Glycans' £4.4M PI: Bruno Linclau US Partnering Award - 'Carbohydrate Sequencing Consortium' £51,021 PI: Sabine Flitsch IBCatalyst "New Enzymatically Produced Interpenetrating Starch-Cellulose Gels"' £2.8M PI: Steve Eichhorn Horizon 2020 FET-OPEN CSA 'CarboMet' ~€497 PI: Sabine Flitsch |
| First Year Of Impact | 2014 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Chemicals,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Energy,Environment,Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| Impact Types | Societal,Economic,Policy & public services |
| Description | A Roadmap for Glycoscience in Europe - White Paper |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Impact | A Roadmap for Glycoscience in Europe - A joint effort between IBCarb and the EGSF this is the result of a workshop, which took place in Copenhagen in March 2014. This document outlines areas where glycoscience can address some of the challenges faced by Europe and contains recommendations for future research activities. Complementing 'Transforming Glycoscience: A Roadmap for the Future, this will be a useful document for scientists, policy makers, funding bodies and the general public alike. It has formed the basis of 'metrology of carbohydrates' event in Brussels 2016 which will lead to individual targeted white papers and EU lobbying/funding activities in the areas of health (biopharmaceuticals, diagnostics, vaccines, the human microbiome, diabetes, obseity and healthy ageing), food (soluble fibre, bet-glucans, prebiotics, high intensity sweetners), personal care and wellbing (structurants, fillers, materials, packaging - all with particular emphasis on sustainable, benign and eco-friendly materials). |
| URL | http://ibcarb.com/wp-content/uploads/White-Paper-amended-May-15.pdf |
| Description | IBCarb Director Professor Sabine Flitsch shadows an MEP |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | The IBCarb Director Professor Sabine Flitsch is participating in the MEP-Scientist Pairing Scheme and has been paired with the MEP Mairead McGuinness. The scheme aims to support the development of relationships between MEPs and scientists to improve access to scientific advice and deepen scientists' understanding of the role of science in policy-making. During a week in Brussels (25-27th January 2016), Professor Flitsch shadowed MEP McGuiness as she went about her parliamentary business, attending committee meetings and meeting officials working in key policy areas. |
| URL | http://ibcarb.com/news/ |
| Description | H2020-FETOPEN-2-2016-CSA |
| Amount | € 496,608 (EUR) |
| Funding ID | 737395 |
| Organisation | European Commission |
| Department | Horizon 2020 |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | European Union (EU) |
| Start | 01/2017 |
| End | 12/2020 |
| Description | IBCarb Business Interaction Voucher |
| Amount | £10,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | IBCarb-BIV-0616-018 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Department | Networks in Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy (NIBB) |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2017 |
| End | 07/2017 |
| Description | IBCarb Business Interaction Voucher |
| Amount | £10,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | IBCarb-BIV-0416-016 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Department | Networks in Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy (NIBB) |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2016 |
| End | 02/2017 |
| Description | IBCarb Business Interaction Voucher |
| Amount | £10,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | IBCarb-BIV-0416-017 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Department | Networks in Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy (NIBB) |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2016 |
| End | 11/2016 |
| Description | IBCarb Business Interaction Voucher |
| Amount | £5,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | IBCarb-BIV-0415-006 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Department | Networks in Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy (NIBB) |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 05/2015 |
| End | 10/2015 |
| Description | IBCarb Proof of Concept funding |
| Amount | £67,768 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | IBCarb-PoC-0315-014 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Department | Networks in Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy (NIBB) |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2015 |
| End | 10/2016 |
| Description | IBCarb Summer Studentship project |
| Amount | £2,500 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | IBCarb-VS2016-007 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Department | Networks in Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy (NIBB) |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2016 |
| End | 08/2016 |
| Description | International Workshops |
| Amount | £10,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/P025668/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2017 |
| End | 12/2017 |
| Description | Newton Fund Researcher Links Workshop Grant. |
| Amount | £32,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 2016-RLWK7-10405 |
| Organisation | Newton Fund |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2017 |
| End | 12/2017 |
| Company Name | Bio-Shape Ltd. |
| Description | Bio-Shape is a start-up company developed by academics from Manchester and Liverpool Universities to support biotechnology industries. Our purpose is to make cutting edge synthetic and analytical tools available for bioindustry needs. We have mass spectrometry based methods to analyse large and complex biomolecules with a focus on biopharmaceuticals requiring very low levels of sample material at short timescales. We develop novel biocatalysts at scale that are robust and offer a green alternative to chemical routes for industrial biotechnology and analytical applications. |
| Year Established | 2015 |
| Impact | Bio-Shape is intensively research active and has been rewarded by support via numerous EU and BBSRC research grants. Bio-Shape was also a participant at the 2016 Pitch at the Palace competition. |
| Website | http://www.bio-shape.com |
| Description | BBSRC IBCarb 'Sweet Existence' Art Exhibition, The Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, 16th July 2015 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | IBCarb http://ibcarb.com/ is a network for Glycoscience Tools for Biotechnology and Bioenergy (BBSRC NIBB). On 16th July 2015 Professor Sabine Flitsch Director of IBCarb supported the launch of a vibrant, colourful collection of abstract paintings by artist Karen Barber that promote the incredibly diverse and vital roles of sugars and their applications. A number of paintings displayed gold glycan arrays for diagnostic devices and members of Professor Flitsch's research group were on-hand to discuss their projects and future outlook for this technology. The paintings will now tour the UK and Europe and showcase further the application of glycans to non-science specialists and strengthen the links between the arts and science. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://ibcarb.com/sweet-existence/ |
| Description | BBSRC The Great British Biosciences Festival, 14-16th November 2014 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Professor Sabine Flitsch was successful in her bid to host "The Complex Life of Sugars" at BBSRC The Great British Biosciences Festival, 14-16th November 2014, London. The exhibition was visited by over 6,500 visitors including people from the following categories: students, teachers, public, scientists, media, potential donors/key decision makers and celebrities. One of the main exhibition activities was focused on cell surface sugars and visitors were encouraged to build a cell surface sugar and explore its interaction with cell invaders both on a cell surface and also a gold glycan array. For more contents please visit our blog http://sugar-complexity.tumblr.com/ and twitter feed @sugarcomplexity. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Filming of Glyco23 Conference Lectures, 15-20th September 2015, Croatia |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The opening lectures of the Glyco23 Conference including a lecture by Professor Sabine Flitsch were made available as an online resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students starting their studies in glycoscience. They provide an introduction to some key concepts in glycoscience and have enabled more students to enter into the subject area more easily. This has led to a follow-on project 'MOOC' a massive open online training course in Industrial Biotechnology with 3 presentation on an introduction to glycoscience with further promise of an individual MOOC for glycoscience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/user/ibcarb |
| Description | Gateways Widening Participation Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | The activities included glycan building through arts-and-crafts, enzymatic glucose testing and a luminol demonstration, with all activities linked to the science of blood - something familiar to all the students attending. This helped high-school students to link classroom science to the real world and explore different options as a career in science. It also integrated current research topics form this project and the wider research institute. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | IBCarb & BioProNet Challenges & Opportunities for Optimising Protein Glycosylation 9th Feb 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | About - Increasing efforts are underway to produce recombinant proteins that have a homogeneous glycan profile, which will lead to products with improved in vivo characteristics (such as half-life and efficacy) and hence offer substantial cost benefits. Studies involve the genetic engineering of cell lines, process modifications (for example, the addition of relevant precursors) and in vitro modification of recombinant proteins. These efforts will also facilitate the use of quality by design framework for the development of biologics. This event, jointly supported by IBCarb and BioProNET (two BBRSC networks in Biotechnology and Bioenergy), aims to bring together researchers involved in recombinant protein production with scientists involved in product characterisation. The workshop will feature keynote speakers as well as round table discussions to identify the grand challenges that arise from the production, regulation and technical aspects of recombinant protein glycosylation. Attendees should also have the opportunity to form working groups for funding applications. Confirmed speakers: Mitul Patel - GlaxoSmithKline Ten Feizi - Imperial College London Gavin Davey - Trinity College Dublin |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | IBCarb & PHYCONET Algal polysaccharides - 14-15 July 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | About This workshop will explore the production of polysaccharides and carbohydrate containing molecules by algae. This 2-day meeting will consist of invited talks, workshops and opportunities for networking. This event is jointly supported by IBCarb and PHYCONET NIBB. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | IBCarb Glycobiotechnology 2016 - IBCarb Mid-Term Showcase Event, 4-5th April 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | This event will showcase the successes and achievements of IBCarb Network members so far as they reach the mid-way point of the network. The workshop will highlight future funding opportunities and foster networking between academics and industry to aid translation into the UK bioindustry. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://ibcarb.com/events/ |
| Description | IBCarb Glycoscience Tools for Bioindustries 01/04/14 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The main aim of the meeting was to help build closer links between academia and industries we well as formulate proposals for IBCarb funding opportunities. This was achieved through flash presentations, networking sessions and breakout project discussions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://ibcarb.com/events/ |
| Description | IBCarb How to commercialise your research and turn your glycoscience into a glyco-biotech start up - 18-20th September 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | About: This will be a hands-on workshop covering the main elements from a business perspective that you need to consider if you are thinking about, or in the early stages of starting up your own business. To provide a structure and focus over the course of the workshop, the Business Canvas Model will be used as a framework, BusinessModelGeneration.com/canvas/ to help you create/review your own Business Model. This will include as your key initial building blocks: ¬ Knowing what is your Value Proposition, and; ¬ Understanding who are Your Customers that you are creating value for? As well as providing valuable insights into the following building blocks: ¬ Building Customer Relationships ¬ Understanding what are your Distribution Channels ¬ What are your Revenue Streams? ¬ What are Key Resources and Activities to making this happen? ¬ Who are your Key Partners? ¬ What is your Cost Structure? There will be a series of talks from IBCarb members who will discuss their experiences. In addition, information on funding sources and support will be provided. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | IBCarb Network Event: Glycoanalysis for Industrial Biotechnology Applications Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Glycans, in the form of polysaccharides or glycoconjugates, are the most abundant class of biomolecule on the planet. Therefore, their structural/functional characterisation and exploitation are critical to UK Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy. To achieve this robust, sensitive and accurate analytical tools are essential. This workshop focused on the analysis of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates and explore key opportunities for industrial applications, bringing together academics, instrument manufacturers and bioindustries. The workshop will aim to formulate potential projects in industrial biotechnology and identify areas of need for investment by IBCarb, RCUK and H2020. There will be key-note talks from industry and academia, networking activities and discussion groups. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://ibcarb.com/events/ |
| Description | IBCarb Network: Carbohydrate Active Enzymes in Industrial Biotechnology Applications Workshop, 18-19th August 2015 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This two-day meeting focused on the application of carbohydrate active enzymes in Industrial Biotechnology through a series of discussions and workshops with particular emphasis on early stage researcher participation on day 1. Part 1: This was the inaugural meeting of the IBCarb Young Investigators group. This event allowed younger members of the community to come together and get to know each other before the rest of the IBCarb event and the following Biochemical Society/RSC conference. Key note talk from Tracey Gloster, St Andrews. Flash presentations from all delegates. Q&A panel session on writing grant applications, submitting papers, collaborations etc. (Panel members Professor Sabine Flitsch & Dr Bruce Turnbull). For PhDs, PDRAs and ECRs ONLY. This was particularly successful with lots of guidance for young investigators looking to take their career forwards in an academic role. Part 2: A networking meal with facilitated discussion on the role of carbohydrate active enzymes in Industrial Biotechnology applications. Part 3: Networking Event This event was open to all IBCarb network members and others interested in the use of enzymes for Industrial Biotechnological applications from industry and academia. There was networking sessions, discussions, project scoping sessions and consortia building with the aim for future IBCarb and external funding bids. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://ibcarb.com/events/ |
| Description | IBCarb Network: Carbohydrate Recognition and Inhibition - 20-21st November 2014 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The aims of the event were to encourage networking between all delegates and to give an overview of the range of activities in IBCarb theme areas in the UK. During the meeting delegates were asked to consider (1) why glycoscience is under-appreciated by science, medicine and industry generally? (2) why carbohydrate recognition is important both academically and commercially (3) how might inhibitors of carbohydrate recognition be useful in biotechnology and medicine. There was a key-note lecture from Professor Del Besra, key speakers and a series of flash presentations. Some opinions were changed regarding the questions above including: access to an open source inhibitor library, access to equipment, industry and EU links and the meeting resulted in IBCarb grant applications and external funding applications between network participants. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://ibcarb.com/events/ |
| Description | IBCarb Network: Fuels, Food & Materials - 9-10th October 2014 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | This network commenced with sharing of relevant expertise in the network. On day 2 the meeting focused on break-out sessions to discuss possible projects based on the presentations and discussions from day 1 of the meeting. Project ideas from each group were presented and project leaders were assigned who led subsequent discussions as a follow-up after the event resulting in grant funding applications. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://ibcarb.com/events/ |
| Description | IBCarb Network: Glycan Microarrays 2.0 - 29-30 July 2014 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | A series of key lectures were presented on carbohydrate microarrays followed by flash presentations. The aim of the meeting was to generate ideas and proposals for grant applications, funding opportunities were highlighted. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://ibcarb.com/events/ |
| Description | IBCarb Network: Glycobiology Challenges & Solutions - 30th September 2014 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | A series of selected talks were presented followed by flash presentations on the challenges of demonstrating comparability of biopharmaceutical glycosylation. The funding opportunities were highlighted and networking opportunities fostered new academic-industry relationships. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://ibcarb.com/events/ |
| Description | IBCarb Network: IBCarb Glycoenzymes for Bioindustries 02/04/14 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | A series of key lectures were presented on carbohydrate microarrays followed by flash presentations. The aim of the meeting was to generate ideas and proposals for grant applications, funding opportunities were highlighted. This meeting resulted in 1 IBCatalyst funded project "Glycoenzymes for Bioindustries" work £3.5M |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://ibcarb.com/events/ |
| Description | IBCarb Network: Metrology of Carbohydrates, 18-19th February 2016, Brussels |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | This meeting was a scoping workshop focusing on the future metrology and analytical science needs over the next decade concerning carbohydrates and glycoconjuagtes, with particular reference to structure determination, sequencing, modeling, databases and standards. Through a series of industry flash presentations, perspectives and panel discussions established the current state of the art and gaps in capabilities and a list of potential metrology and measurement challenges were formulated for current and future requirements in: health (including biopharmaceuticals, diagnostics, vaccines, the human microbiome, diabetes, obesity and healthy aeging); food (inclufing soluble fibre, beta-glucans, prebiotics, high intensity sweetners); personal care and wellbeing (including structurants, exipients, fillers, materials, packaging,all with a particular emphasis on sustainable, benign and eco-friendly materials). A proposal for H2020 funding (FETOPEN-02-2016: FET-CSA) will be formulated and an action plan for future collaborative EU funding opportunities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://ibcarb.com/events/ |
| Description | IBCarb Network: Molecular Modelling of Carbohydrates - 6th July 2015, Manchester |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This one day meeting presented the current state-of-the-art research using computational chemistry techniques to better understand the structure and interactions of carbohydrates. The day appealed to academics and industrialists working in the area of glycoscience, both those with a molecular modelling background and those who might wish to use these techniques to enhance their experimental work. The main impact was consortia building for future grant applications. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://ibcarb.com/events/ |
| Description | IBCarb Sweet Existence Exeter - Exhibition Launch Event - 6th June 2016, The Forum, University of Exeter |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Art exhibition |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | IBCarb event: Synthesis for Nano- and Glyco-sciences - Spring Training School 9-11th April 2015 Joint Meeting with COST Action MultiGlycoNano |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The Spring Training School "Synthesis for nano- and glyco-sciences" was held at Bangor University targeted towards MSc, PhD students and postdocs. The training school intended to give an overview of various synthesis and analysis related aspects of 'multiglyconanoconjugates'. Core material was delivered through a number of traditional lectures given by experts in the field including an industrial speaker. In addition, the training school provided a platform for young scientist to communicate their current research. To facilitate this, all ESRs were given the opportunity to present a poster and either a short communication or a challenging PechaKucha presentation. The training school was run jointly with the BBSRC sponsored IBCarb network and the RSC. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://cost-cm1102.bangor.ac.uk/news.php.en |
| Description | MOOC Massive Open Online Training Course in Industrial Biotechnology, available from May 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Professor Sabine Flitsch was asked to design, integrate and deliver 3 modules on Glycoscience as part of a MOOC (massive open online course) in Industrial Biotechnology. A MOOC provides: open education, global reach, improves recruitment in emerging areas (for example glycoscience), widening participation. The MOOC contents level is aimed at students aged above 16 studying A-Levels in Science or adults with an interest in Science. However, the demographic split of students is typically 31% student/pupil, 20% curious amateur/hobbyist, 20% industry professional, 10% academic/teacher, 9% research scientist, 10% other. The MOOC will be made available on Coursera https://www.mooc-list.com/initiative/coursera?static=true for free; however, if students require a verified certificate then they must complete the quizzes and pay a small fee. The course takes typically 6-8 weeks to complete and comprises of interactive video lectures, a narrative, supplementary links, self-test quizzes, forums and assignments. The glycoscience module is based on 'A Roadmap for Glycoscience in Europe' produced by IBCarb and the EGSF. It covers an introduction to glycoscience, key results and challenges in the areas of Pharmaceuticals and Personalised Medicines (addressing challenges in Health), Food (food security and wellbeing) and biomaterials (resource efficiency and raw materials). Underpinning these opportunities are a number of emerging Glycoscience Tools, particularly in synthesis, analysis, bioinformatics and modelling which open up glycoscience to a much wider scientific and industrial community and overcome barriers to entry for commercial applications. Importantly, full exploitation will only be possible, if the broader community is educated in the opportunities brought by the emerging field of glycoscience, through cooperation with the media and policy makers, as well as Education and Training for students and scientists at all levels. The course will be available online from May 2016 on Coursera. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://www.mooc-list.com/initiative/coursera?static=true |
| Description | Manchester Institute of Biotechnology Open Day, 8th November 2013 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | The MIB Open Day was specifically aimed at A-Level students nationally. The day focused on hands-on experiments and lectures to promote working at the interface between chemistry and biology to solve problems with a biological 'green' solution and encourage science students to pick applied science subjects. The feedback was very positive with pupils reporting that they now realized there were a lot more options for further study and jobs than they previously knew about. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | New Scientist Live (EXCEL London) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 22,476 visitors, 81 pieces of news coverage, 208 journalists attended and reached 623 million people - we had visitors following up asking for resources which we have made into an activity pack for schools. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://live.newscientist.com/ |
| Description | RSC Carbohydrate Group 50th Anniversary Conference - 31 Oct - 1 Nov 2016 - University of Warwick |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Prestigious conference. IBCarb part sponsored the event and provided support in the form of bursaries for early career researchers to attend. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Royal Society Satellite Science Exhibition (Manchester Museum of Science and Industry) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Family friendly hands on exhibition "The Complex Life of Sugars" showcasing stands from previous Royal Society Summer Science Exhibitions, estimated attendance at the stand, over 200 people per day for 5 days |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/science-exhibition-manchester/ |
| Description | Science Spectacular, Manchester Museum 2nd November 2014 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Science Spectacular is aimed at families to promote sciences as fun and useful. The feedback from individuals questioned were all positive, reporting changes in their opinions and behaviour and more pupils expressing an interest in studying science further. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | ScienceX (The Trafford Centre Manchester) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | ScienceX was part of Manchester City of Science/ESOF. We took hands on experiments including sugar building and smelling compounds in cola which can be made using biotechnology. It reached passers-by at The Trafford Centre and an audience that would not normally attend science exhibitions. The participants said that they did not like science at school and then really enjoyed the activities and discussions. It gave lots of people more confidence in their scientific abilities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, London 1-7th July 2013 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Professor Sabine Flitsch was successful in her bid to host "The Complex Life of Sugars" at The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, 1-7th July 2013, London. The exhibition was visited by over 12,500 people including the following categories: students, teachers, public, scientists, media, potential donors/key decision makers and celebrities. The complex life of sugars webpage http://sse.royalsociety.org/2013/exhibits/sweet-complexity/ proved a great success, including one of the most popular 'how it works' videos. The webpages also include scientist profile videos for four members of the group http://sse.royalsociety.org/2013/exhibits/sweet-complexity/scientists/. The videos range from a PhD student just beginning their career all the way up to an internationally established Professor leading their field. We hope that these videos show the range of job opportunities available within an academic career (STEM subject) and also the person behind the scientist. As part of the exhibition we also commissioned a three minute animation which provides an introduction and overview of the whole area of carbohydrate science. This video has had over 700 views http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uT9dQ-s1yo in three different places (available on other websites). We were also successful in the Royal Society Games Jam competition. Our game, 'Cell Invaders' was voted the best game at the exhibition and won £2,000 worth of development. It is now available to download on PC http://coolcherrytrees.com/cellinvaders/web/web-new.html and ipad https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/cell-invader/id664340722?mt=8. One of the main exhibition activities was focused on cell surface sugars and visitors were encouraged to build a cell surface sugar and explore its interaction with cell invaders both on a cell surface and also a gold glycan array. For more contents please visit our blog http://sugar-complexity.tumblr.com/ and twitter feed @sugarcomplexity. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://sse.royalsociety.org/2013/exhibits/sweet-complexity/ |
| Description | The Science Spectacular, Manchester Museum, 2nd November 2013 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition proved so popular that we were asked to be part of The Science Spectacular, 2nd November 2013 at The Manchester Museum http://www.manchestersciencefestival.com/whatson/science-spectacular. The Science Spectacular was aimed primarily at young children and families to encourage children to enjoy science. The feedback from parents was very positive. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.manchestersciencefestival.com/whatson/science-spectacular |
| Description | iGEM Giant Jamboree, Boston 24-25th September 2015: 2 x iGem Team Sponsorship and mentoring by IBCarb Network |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The iGEM competition is an annual, world-wide synthetic biology event aimed at undergraduate university students as well as high school graduate students. Multidisciplinary teams work all summer long to build genetically engineered systems using standard biological parts called Biobricks. iGEM teams work inside and outside the lab, creating sophisticated projects that strive to create positive contribution to their communities and the world. Manchester-Graz team developed a novel system for treating Parkinson's disease using engineered bacteria. The aim was to make the first steps in the development of a unique technology of drug delivery by developing self-regulating drug-producing bacterial strains that, in the future, could be incorporated into patients' intestinal and gut microflora to secrete medicines directly inside the patient's body in response to any physiological changes, in particular low levels of dopamine. To control the bacterial L-DOPA production, they developed an innovative multidimensional cell density dependent auto-regulation system that could also be used to control other multistep enzyme pathways. The NRP-UEA team investigated 2 approaches towards improving butyrate levels in the gut. Colon cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death with 30,000 new cases diagnosed every year in England and Wales and a registered cause of death in half that number. Recent studies have suggested that high dietary intake of resistant starch may reduce colon cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. Resistant starches escape digestion in the small intestine and are fermented by microbiota in the colon. A small proportion of these colonic bacteria produce short chain fatty acids including butyrate, which can activate apoptosis in colon cancer cells. We are taking two approaches to improve butyrate levels in the colon. In the first we produced modified starches that might be consumed as prebiotics. In the second approach the butyrate biosynthetic pathway was transferred to culturable bacterial species with the long-term aim of producing a probiotic. They also investigated the policies and practices around nutritional intervention studies. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://igem.org/Competition |