News
New test uses oyster poo to track devastating parasite
A Heriot-Watt scientist has worked with colleagues at the University of Edinburgh's Roslin Institute to develop a groundbreaking method to detect a deadly oyster parasite without harming the shellfish.
The European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) has seen its numbers plummet over the past two centuries due to overfishing, habitat loss and disease. They are now rare and protected in the wild.
£326k given to insect protein research
Innovate UK has awarded £326,610 to help the UK insect sector address regulatory barriers.
This IBC-Net project, led by UK Agri-Tech Centre Ltd, will overcome regulatory hurdles in insect bioconversion, the process of using insects to break down organic waste into protein for animal feed, oils or fertiliser.
Gene-edited pigs approved for US market
Pigs produced to be resistant to one of the world’s most costly livestock diseases, using technology developed by the Roslin Institute, have been approved for sale to US consumers.
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of a gene-editing technology that makes pigs resistant to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) for the US food supply chain.
TRICAPITAL Angels leads £2.1 million investment into Scottish insect genetics firm Beta Bugs
Pioneering Scottish business Beta Bugs has secured a multimillion-pound investment as it looks to become a global leader in insect genetics.
TRICAPITAL Angels led a £1.7 million investment into the business in 2023 – and has now followed up with a fresh £2.1 million cash injection alongside Scottish Enterprise.
Ingenza partners with HydRegen to advance sustainable biomanufacturing
Ingenza has partnered with Oxford-based biotech company HydRegen to develop a more sustainable and cost-effective method for manufacturing amine-based chemicals, eliminating the need for heavy metal catalysts. The company turned to Ingenza to help improve the expression levels of a new candidate biocatalyst, increasing process efficiency and resource use.
Discover the new Agri Hub on Easter Bush Campus
Midlothian Science Business Forum guests received an introduction to the new Agri-Tech Hub for Data-Driven Innovation (DDI), part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Deal, and learned how this has evolved as well as the exciting opportunities for future development, collaboration, innovation and talent building.
Cytomos secures £5 million for scale-up
Midlothian-based biotechnology company Cytomos has secured £5 million to scale up production of its cell analysis technology.
Cytomos said that the investment will enable it to drive sales of its first commercial product, Celledonia™, built on its cell analysis technology platform, AuraCyt, which is “already generating significant market traction.”
Cytomos secures £5 million of scale-up investment
Cytomos has raised £5m to scale up production of its cell analysis technology.
New investment will allow the Edinburgh-based biotechnology company to drive sales of its first commercial product, Celledonia, built on its cell-analysis technology platform AuraCyt.
Source: Business Insider
Scottish female-led companies set to leverage £4.5m funding
Investing Women Angels (IWA) has announced it will back a series of investment rounds over the next four months that is set to raise more than £4.5 million for four female-founded companies in Scotland.
World’s first sustainability index for plants launched
AbacusBio has launched the world’s first Sustainability Index for plants, helping reduce the environmental impact of growing crops. This innovative tool enables breeding companies to create plant varieties that use less water, lower emissions, and optimize yield, health, and disease resistance.