Biotechnology

The University of Manchester is at the forefront of a bio-industrial revolution.

Fossil fuels have been the primary energy source for society since the Industrial Revolution. They provide the raw material for the manufacture of many everyday products that we take for granted including pharmaceuticals, food and drink, materials, plastics and personal care.

But our dependency can't continue. The combined effect of fossil carbon depletion and climate change means we must find cleaner, more sustainable forms of energy.

We need solutions that will help us respond to society’s grand challenges: an ever-increasing and ageing population, affordable health care, resource efficiency, food security, climate change and energy shortages.

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General Academic Industry Policy

University of Manchester infographic: industrial biotechnology — Click to view full infographic

A bio-industrial revolution

Just as Manchester was at the heart of the first Industrial Revolution, The University of Manchester is now leading the way, both nationally and across Europe, towards a bio-industrial revolution.

We’re at the forefront of a European industrial renaissance, creating next-generation chemicals for industrial and health care needs.

Using biological resources such as plants, algae, fungi, marine life and micro-organisms, biotechnology, combined with the emerging science of synthetic biology, is changing how we manufacture chemicals and materials and provides a source of renewable energy.

We’re channelling the full breadth of our expertise in chemicals, materials and energy to find the answers.

In the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, the University has one of Europe’s leading industry-interfaced institutes, with world-leading capabilities in chemicals synthesis and manufacture.

Supported by a grant portfolio of more than £100 million, we partner with some of the world’s leading companies from across the chemistry, biotechnology and biopharmaceutical sectors – including GlaxoSmithKline, Shell, Unilever and Pfizer– to drive the creation of new, bio-based chemicals.

Solutions for 21st-century industry

As the 21st century progresses and we move towards more bio-based economies, we need solutions for the manufacture of chemicals that are smarter, more predictable and more sustainable.

At The University of Manchester, we’re advancing this agenda.

We have the capacity to deliver renewable and sustainable materials, biopharmaceuticals, chemicals and energy that will transform the UK and European industrial landscape.

Biotechnology: Research breakthroughs

Global challenges, Manchester solutions

Efficient production of medicines

Global challenge

Statins are a major breakthrough in health care: widely used drugs that decrease the risk of coronary heart disease and strokes by lowering cholesterol levels. To make them more widely available we need to reduce production costs.

Manchester solution

Researchers from our Manchester Institute of Biotechnology have worked with industry partners at DSM to devise a single-step fermentative method for the industrial production of pravastatin, replacing the previous costly dual-step fermentation and biotransformation process.

This new biotechnologically advanced method forms the basis of a patented process for the efficient production of this blockbuster drug.

Greener fuels

Global challenge

Propane, a major component of liquefied petroleum gas, is the world’s third most widely used motor fuel and provides heat and energy for an estimated 14 million homes. Reducing its environmental impact is crucial in tackling global climate change.

Manchester solution

Researchers from our Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, in collaboration with Imperial College London and the University of Turku, have created a synthetic pathway for biosynthesis of propane gas. This cutting-edge process has the potential to revolutionise the production of biofuel, avoiding the environmental issues associated with extracting fuel from non-renewable sources and drastically reducing the transport costs and carbon emissions associated with production.

Cleaner and sustainable manufacturing

Global challenge

Biotechnology has the potential to revolutionise manufacturing, supporting a transition to a cleaner bio-based economy. However, it can take years for leading academic research to be adopted by industry and turned into new medicines or sustainable energy solutions.

Manchester solution

The University of Manchester leads the Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub, which boosts interaction between academics and industry, promoting the translation of research into societal and economic benefits. This new UK centre is developing innovative biotechnologies for high-value manufacturing to sustainably produce pharmaceuticals, chemicals and materials.

Parkinson’s early diagnosis

Global challenge

Every hour, someone in the UK is told they have Parkinson’s disease – a progressive neurological condition with no definitive diagnostic test and no cure. It affects 127,000 people in the UK and 7.5 million worldwide, leaving many patients struggling to walk, speak and sleep.

Manchester solution

We’re tackling the development of a noninvasive diagnostic test that may have the ability to diagnose early Parkinson’s, possibly even before physical symptoms are displayed. Our researchers are undertaking investigations to identify novel small molecules from sebum – an oily substance found in the skin – which are believed to emit a subtle but unique scent in patients in the early stages of Parkinson’s.

New biomaterials for a greener future

Global challenge

The UK government’s Clean Growth Strategy sets out proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the economy in the coming decades. New materials inspired by biology could help us meet this ambitious new green strategy.

Manchester solution

Pioneering Manchester scientists at the Synthetic Biology Research Centre for Fine and Speciality Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM) are taking inspiration from nature to develop the next generation of synthetic biological materials with amazing properties, such as enhanced strength, flexibility and lightness. Recent research into bioplastics has highlighted new biomanufacturing processes that can provide positive environmental impact and allow affordable and sustainable production.

Improving chemicals production

Global challenge

Many flavours and fragrances are sourced from botanicals. However, some of which contain only minute levels of the target compound. Engineering bacterial strains that produce these compounds could reduce the environmental
impact of traditional chemical synthesis.

Manchester solution

Hosted by the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, the Synthetic Biology Research Centre for Fine and Speciality Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM) focuses early activity in three key chemical targets: alkaloids, flavonoids and terpenoids. These projects aim to accelerate the production and scale-up of important chemical targets, which are key to a wide range of sectors.

Producing inexpensive pharmaceuticals

Global challenge

Hepatitis C is a major health problem affecting around 150 million people worldwide. Many infected people live in countries where access to modern expensive treatments is a major issue.

Manchester solution

We’ve helped develop a new class of drugs that are highly effective in tackling hepatitis C, completely removing the virus from most patients. Efforts can now focus on making telaprevir – the leading medicine in this area – widely available and affordable. In collaboration with the Free University of Amsterdam, we devised an efficient synthesis of telaprevir that combines biocatalysis with multicomponent chemistry.

Antibiotics production crisis

Global challenge

According to the World Health Organization, there are not enough new antibiotics in development. Since their 1960s heyday, the production of novel antibiotics has declined markedly – it’s been 30 years since a major new class of antibiotics for clinical use has been discovered.

Manchester solution

Researchers at Manchester’s Synthetic Biology Research Centre, SYNBIOCHEM, have married biology with engineering to find new routes to antibiotics. Using synthetic biology we can rewrite the DNA sequences of the antibiotic biosynthesis pathways and introduce different enzymes from other organisms. Our pioneering robotic technology, meanwhile, can test thousands of these compounds every year, bringing new synthetic antibiotics a step closer.

Accelerating medicine development

Global challenge

It can take years or even decades to develop and produce new medicines, with those affected unable to be helped by the latest developments in biotechnology.

Manchester solution

Our researchers have created a new way to speed up the genome evolution of baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the same yeast used in bread and beer production. This innovation could help with the mass production of advanced medicines to treat illnesses such as malaria and tuberculosis. It could also have massive implications for the future study of DNA.

News

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Visual representation of a yeast puzzle.

Scientists closer to re-writing world’s first synthetic yeast genome

Manchester Institute of Biotechnology researchers have created the tRNA Neochromosome – a chromosome new to nature.

A collection of Cloudwater beer bottles.

'Tales From the Future' beer launches

University of Manchester researchers have collaborated with Cloudwater to produce a beer uniquely brewed using a novel strain of yeast.

Person carrying green recycling box with assortment of empty plastic bottles.

Plastic-eating bacteria could help aid global recycling efforts

Scientists have made a biotechnological breakthrough using engineered bacteria cells to reduce our plastic waste.

Synthetic spider silk effective as glue

Scientists at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology have successfully produced synthetic spider silk to create a new biodegradable glue alternative.

Biotech scientists elected as Fellows of the Royal Society

Professors Nigel Scrutton and Nicholas Turner from the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology have been recognised for their contributions to scientific discovery.

COVID-19 home test under development by biotech team

World-leading Manchester biotech researchers are working towards a test for COVID-19 that could be used like a domestic pregnancy test.

Biotech breakthrough boosts sustainable bio-based economy

International research led by the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology has found a new way to turn waste biomass into high-value chemicals.

Prof Nigel Scrutton collects the Queen's Anniversary Award

Institute receives prestigious award

The Manchester Institute of Biotechnology collected the Queen's Anniversary Prize at a ceremony held at Buckingham Palace.

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