HydRegen secure funding for MRL of lead products

By Tom Kilkelly

25 September 2023

Share

iStock

Oxford-based Hydregen, a biotechnology company focused on sustainable chemical manufacture, has secured funding from BBSRC, EPSRC and Innovate UK to 'unlock sustainable biocatalytic hydrogenation'.

The funding will be used, in collaboration with the University of Nottingham, to help Hydregen tackle the challenges in manufacturing its technologies, by intensifying and scaling enzyme production with a focus on applying it to a demonstrator process for quinuclidinol production.

Dr Simone Morra, Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham comments: “I started collaborating with HydRegen back in 2022 via a via BBSRC-NIBB funded project and I’m excited to continue working with them on this new project.

''My team and I have a deep expertise in novel hydrogenase enzymes that are able to cycle H2 and H+. These are the enzymes of interest to HydRegen due to their unusual balance in ease of production and ease of handling.

''We have the know-how and facilities in enzyme production spanning early-stage academic research through to evaluation of scalable enzyme production in bioreactors to transfer to HydRegen as part of this collaboration for process intensification and scale up of metallo-enzyme production.”

Visit Hampshire Biz News for bright, upbeat and positive business news from the county

The BBSRC, EPSRC and Innovate UK are supporting 34 feasibility studies across the UK to develop and improve sustainable biomanufacturing.

This programme aims to enhance UK global competitiveness by supporting research and innovation that focuses on developing new and disruptive sustainable biomanufacturing products and processes that will support UK biomanufacturing in becoming net zero and resource efficient, resilient and responsive, technologically advanced and digital by 2050.

Dr Rhiannon Evans, Head of Enzyme production and Molecular Biology at HydRegen said: “We are excited to embark on this exciting project with Dr Simone Morra, and his team, at the University of Nottingham.

''His expertise in novel hydrogen cycling enzymes and cutting-edge knowledge will be a great asset in helping us to increase the manufacturing readiness for 3 of HydRegen’s critical metallo-enzymes and builds out our in-house R&D capabilities.

''This has the potential to make a step-change in HydRegen’s ability to lower cost and increase scalability of hydrogenase production.”

By Tom Kilkelly

Tom Kilkelly started working as a freelance journalist for The Business Magazine following his graduation from UCL in 2022.

During his studies Tom became very interested in the works of Irish authors including Samuel Beckett and Flann O'Brien (Brian O'Nolan).

His current role as a freelance business reporter is his first exposure to the world of business journalism. Working at TBM has given Tom the chance to really get to grips with the goings-on in the business hive that is the South East.