Bioinformatics-guided natural product discovery and development platform
Isomerase offers a comprehensive bioinformatics-guided platform for the discovery and development of novel natural products, utilizing advanced genome sequence analysis, bioengineering, and fermentation processes to support scalable production and tech transfer.
Overview
Isomerase presents a comprehensive platform for the discovery and development of novel natural products, leveraging bioinformatics and bioengineering. Based in Cambridge, UK, Isomerase excels in genome sequence analysis, particularly biosynthetic gene clusters, and employs strain engineering to enhance natural product production or generate analogs. The platform supports small-scale fermentation and isolation processes, facilitating tech transfer to scaled contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs). Clients retain the intellectual property, and collaboration models include consultancy, full-time equivalent (FTE) relationships, or fee-for-service arrangements.
Technical specifications
- Expertise in genome sequence analysis and biosynthetic gene clusters in bacteria and fungi
- Capabilities in metagenomics, bioinformatics, and strain engineering
- Ability to assay novel products using a vast strain collection or sourced BSL1/BSL2 indicator strains
- Isolation and characterization of products via solvent extraction, prep-HPLC, and column chromatography
- Use of HPLC, LCMS, and access to NMR for detailed analysis
- Facilities include stirred tank reactors for lab and pilot-scale fermentation
Technology readiness level
The platform is at a Technology Readiness Level 3, indicating experimental proof of concept. Isomerase supports initial studies through genome sequencing and analysis, followed by scale-up and detailed process development leading to tech transfer to CDMOs for commercial production.
About Isomerase
Isomerase is a biotechnology research company and service provider specializing in microbial bioengineering. They leverage a proprietary platform, including the IsoZym bioproduction system, to discover and engineer microbes—such as bacteria and fungi—to produce therapeutics, enzymes, and other biomolecules. The company integrates synthetic biology, bioinformatics, and microbial strain development with advanced analytical chemistry and bioprocessing capabilities to optimize production processes. Their technical expertise spans natural product discovery, metabolic engineering, and the development of recombinant peptides, allowing them to provide end-to-end support from early-stage concept and screening through to process scale-up and commercial readiness.
The company serves partners across the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and sustainability sectors by helping them access difficult chemical spaces and create more cost-effective, sustainable manufacturing routes. By functioning as an innovation partner, Isomerase addresses the challenges of discovering novel compounds or improving existing bioprocesses for complex products like biocatalytic enzymes and natural product analogues. Their work is supported by an extensive, proprietary collection of microbial strains and state-of-the-art laboratory facilities located in the Cambridge Biomedical Cluster. They provide a collaborative model where partners receive dedicated scientific and business points of contact to ensure accountability and project alignment, helping to bridge the gap between initial discovery and industrial-scale application.
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