Lab News roundup: Honours, market reports, location moves, collaborations and research

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Materials innovation company Xampla and the Quadram Institute have been awarded Innovate UK and BBSRC grant funding to develop their probiotic microencapsulation technology aimed at improving gut health.  

As probiotics are highly sensitive to factors such as oxygen exposure, pH imbalance, and pasteurisation, Xampla’s microencapsulation technology aims to protect them through manufacturing, transit and storage. Globally, the probiotics market is projected to increase from £77 billion now to £170 billion by 2030.

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Professor Dr. Laura van't Veer (pictured), co-founder of personalised cancer care firm Agendia and co-developer of the MammaPrint genomic breast cancer recurrence test, will be honoured at breast cancer symposia in Italy, the Netherlands and the U.S. this year for her pioneering work in molecular cancer diagnostics and breast cancer research over the past 30 years.

The events this year include receiving the Luigi Castagnetta Award in Sicily, delivering keynote lecture at the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital's anniversary symposium in Amsterdam, and delivering the William L. McGuire Memorial Lecture Award at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. MammaPrint was developed in 2002 and approved by the FDA in 2007 as the world's first molecular diagnostic microarray test for breast cancer. Said Agendia CEO Mark Straley: "Her visionary work, including the development of MammaPrint and her involvement in the groundbreaking MINDACT and I-SPY studies, have fundamentally changed the treatment of breast cancer."

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UK researchers published more work on alternative proteins than anywhere else in Europe, claims A Good Food Institute Europe (GFI Europe) report which found 255 papers published by the country since 2010 relevant to plant-based food, cultivated meat and fermentation.

In all, some 77 of British and Northern Ireland-based researchers were active in the area of cultivated seafood and meat, accounting for more than one fifth of all European research. UK scientists also accounted for 14% of European output relating to fermentation. However, in research into developing plant-based meat, seafood and dairy, Germany and Spain exceeded Britain. In addition, UK funding lagged behind that EU institutions and Denmark, with the main source of funding being UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). 

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Logical Biological recently moved into larger, upgraded laboratory space at Discovery Park, marking its third move within the science and innovation campus. Founded as a start-up with just two employees, the firm is a leading provider of biological critical materials for diagnostics, therapeutic research, and IVD reagent manufacture, shipping to more than 24 countries. It recently received a King’s Award For Enterprise, for a 170% increase in international trade over the past three years. 

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Global innovation in CRISPR technology is at an all-time high, with agriculture recording the greatest rise, according to the latest patent data report by Appleyard Lees.

The sector reported 122 patent filings in 2022, amounting to a 58% annual increase and topping its previous high in 2018 of 114. Overall, the fourth annual edition of Appleyard Lees’ Inside Green Innovation: Progress Report from the leading intellectual property firm showed an 8% increase in filings in the year to 2022 (from 1,973 to 2,126). But this rate of increase lags far behind pre-pandemic levels, with 21% recorded in 2018 and 18% in 2019.

Partner Chris Mason said the market for CRISPR-mediated gene editing technology across multiple sectors is predicted to reach “billions, if not trillions” of US dollars but disputes about tech ownership and over licensing availability remained.

Though early patent applications for CRISPR technology were driven by universities, the latest data shows only the University of California retaining a place in the top 10 patent filers.

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UKRI – UK Research and Innovation’s announcement of new funding for the next five years to support collaborative PhD training via the London Interdisciplinary Doctoral Programme (LIDo), via a new Doctoral Landscape Award will enable LIDo partner of 13 years, the Royal Veterinary College (pictured bottom right), to continue to provide training to students, including bioscience and veterinary graduates.

In total, UKRI has awarded 21 partnerships £500 million to continue championing doctoral-level research training. The Doctoral Landscape Award will annually support 26 studentships each year, funding PhDs that combine bioscience with AI and advanced computation. LIDo is now accepting applications for the PhD studentships starting in Autumn 2025.

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Veolia Water Technologies has launched mobile water services for pharmaceutical, cosmetics and life science industries across Europe (pictured centre right). Vice president of mobile business for Veolia Water Technologies Mark Dyson, stated: “Our output performance-based service optimises both the quality and quantity of treated water delivered while helping manage complex wastewater to meet production and compliance needs responsibly and without disruption.”

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Molecular genetics diagnostic company specialist in early cancer detection Mainz Biomed has reached a collaborative agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific via the latter’s subsidiary Life Technologies Corporation to jointly develop and potentially commercialise Mainz Biomed’s Next Generation colorectal cancer screening product.

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Researchers at Vilnius University’s Life Sciences Centre have developed what they say is a novel, non-cutting method to silence genes. Professor Patrick Pausch’s team (pictured top) outlined in Nature Communications—their discovery that cells can press a ‘pause’ button on specific genetic instructions without breaking DNA. They claim this could aid safer gene modifications and could potentially enable the repair of faulty genes tied to various diseases.

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Mursla Bio has been invited to join EVEREST, the leading European consortium in recognition of its part in harnessing extracellular vesicle (EV) science to improve cancer outcomes for at-risk patients through dynamic biopsy technology. EVEREST comprises 22 institutions, academic and non-academic and over 80 Marie Curie Scientific fellows across 11 European countries to promote the exchange of expertise to advance EV science and its clinical applications in disease management.

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Cambridge Business Park is to host a regeneration project worth £1.5 billion led by The Crown Estate, building on the latter’s partnerships with Great British Energy to accelerate renewable energy, and with Pioneer Group and Oxford Science Enterprise to create a new 100,000sq ft life sciences, technology and innovation space in the heart of Oxford.

The Crown Estate intends to invest up to £1.5 billion in the science, technology, and innovation sectors nationally over 15 years. To date, Cambridge contains more than 60,000 people employed by around 5,300 knowledge intensive businesses in the area.

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The European Parliament has adopted a resolution calling for swift revision of both the Medical Devices and In Vitro Diagnostics regulations, citing potential product shortages in the region.  

It has asked the European Commission to propose “systematic revision” of the existing legislation and complete an impact assessment by the end of the first quarter of 2025. 

The resolution called for regulatory frameworks to better accommodate innovative devices that address unmet medical needs and provide better prioritisation and fast-track pathways. MEP Peter Liese said: “This is costing jobs and competitiveness – but most importantly, patients are suffering.” 

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Azenta has announced the launch of a long-read Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) test for clinical applications after becoming the first commercial provider to obtain regulatory approval to offer the test in the United States.

While traditional short-read sequencing methods have difficulty identifying genetic variants in repetitive regions of the genome that underpin many rare diseases, Azenta's test using PacBio's Revio sequencer can obtain long and accurate HiFi sequencing reads to cover regions that are inaccessible by short reads, said the company.

"Clinical-grade long-read sequencing represents a monumental leap forward in the ability to decipher the genetic basis of rare diseases. By capturing long stretches of DNA in a single read, researchers can uncover subtle genetic nuances that were previously undetectable with conventional methods," commented Dr. Ginger Zhou, senior vice president and general manager – GENEWIZ Multiomics and Synthesis Solutions at Azenta Life Sciences.