|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
Renaissance BioScience secures Genome BC grant to build proprietary wild yeast discovery platform
|
|
Wednesday, 25 February, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
|
|
Vancouver, Canada
|
Renaissance BioScience has announced a $550,000, 24-month GeneSolve research grant funded by Genome BC to develop a proprietary wild yeast discovery platform aimed at accelerating industrial biotechnology innovation. The project will be conducted in partnership with Dr. Vivien Measday at the University of British Columbia.
The initiative will focus on building a large library of wild yeast strains, with more than 700 natural strains set to be characterised in the first phase. Selected strains demonstrating desirable attributes will undergo advanced genomics analysis, with findings integrated into a searchable database designed to rapidly identify commercially valuable traits. The project will also generate extensive genomic and phenotypic datasets that can be leveraged by artificial intelligence tools to speed up strain and technology discovery.
Dr. John Husnik, co-CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of Renaissance BioScience, described the project as a strategic investment in a long-term yeast discovery and commercialisation engine. By combining Renaissance’s industrial expertise with the Measday Lab’s robotic screening systems, sequencing capabilities and advanced analytical infrastructure, the company aims to create a scalable platform for identifying high-performance yeast strains.
The initial commercial focus will be on strains capable of valorising waste substrates—converting low-value byproducts and waste streams into high-value industrial compounds. Through high-throughput screening, promising candidates will be advanced for their ability to produce enzymes, biosurfactants, emulsifiers and nutraceuticals with applications across food, nutrition, agriculture, energy and other industrial sectors.
The company said the bioprospecting initiative has already attracted strong interest from commercial partners and academic collaborators, reinforcing the platform’s long-term strategic value and revenue potential.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|