Public Funding for Iceni Glycoscience Limited

Nature produces a range of carbohydrate polymers -- e.g. starch, cellulose, chitin -- which have important properties that support a wide range of biological structures and processes. These materials are also widely exploited across market sectors -- thickeners in processed food; tableting agents; absorbent materials in sanitary products; wound dressings; biodegradable packaging. However, nature does not afford carbohydrate materials with the range of desirable properties that industry requires. We have shown that new-to-nature fluorinated carbohydrate polymers can be made by enzymatic synthesis, widening the palette of structures and properties that are available to tailor bulk polysaccharide properties for application. Herein, we will develop and optimise processes for the scalable enzymatic synthesis of fluorinated carbohydrate polymers.

In any infectious disease outbreak, the rapid triage of potential carriers of infection is essential to control the spread of infection and to allocate resources efficiently. Iceni Diagnostics is repurposing the technology most famously used in the home pregnancy test kit to create a new generation of rapid, point-of-care diagnostics. These studies are being carried out in close collaboration with clinical laboratories from the NHS, to ensure rapid feedback on ease of use, sensitivity and specificity with real-life samples. The scientific basis of these new tests relies on the exploitation of the carbohydrates that viruses and bacteria attach to on human cells, which we will immobilise in our devices. The key advantage of this technology is that is easy to produce and can be scaled up, using established manufacture and distribution chains, to meet the substantial demands for immediate and recurrent infectious diseases testing. Specific products under development include devices to detect equine influenza in stables, norovirus in hospital wards, and Covid-19, the latter to support the NHS, homes and individuals wanting to self-test before returning to work, associating with neighbours and family etc. An immediate goal for Iceni Diagnostics is to devise rapid, flexible and scalable ways to make the bespoke carbohydrates required for diagnostics applications. To this end, partnership with Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) provides access to state-of-the-art knowledge in green ways to make sugars. The secondment to Iceni Diagnostics of an MIB researcher provides an ideal way to build the academic-industry relationships and to provide an individual with a strong University background with experience of how their skills and expertise may be deployed in a biotech/medtech SME setting.

In any infectious disease outbreak, the rapid triage of potential carriers of infection is essential to control the spread of infection and to allocate resources efficiently. We will repurpose the technology, most famously used in the pregnancy test, to create a new diagnostic to rapidly identify coronavirus carriers. This approach requires no infrastructure and can be used in the community with minimal training or expertise. This tool leads to a simple 'red line' output within 15 minutes, enabling early identification of infected individuals. Crucially, Iceni Diagnostics has successfully applied this technology for influenza diagnostics already; insight into how to adapt these tests for the detection of coronavirus is also in place. The scientific basis of this new test is to exploit the carbohydrates that coronaviruses attach to on human cells, which we will immobilise in our devices. The key advantage of this technology is that is easy to produce and can be scaled up, using established manufacture and distribution chains, to meet the substantial demands for immediate and recurrent coronavirus testing in the weeks and months ahead. It is intended to be used for triage - to enable large numbers of people to be tested with a +/- outcome, enabling positive response patients to be rapidly identified, quarantined and subjected to further testing, while enabling negative-response individuals to return to their normal work-life activities. - UPDATES - COVID-19 infection recurs in waves. The increase of new cases and the resulting restrictions on people movement, public events and social activities is putting intense pressure on all nations, worldwide. The rapid spread of the virus is sadly confirming that we are still unprepared to face pandemic events and that new, easy to use and rapid diagnostics are still needed – and will be so for years to come. New technologies, complementary to the existing ones, will be essential to guarantee the high number of tests required for safe management of a pandemic situation. Carbohydrates-based diagnostics present an unexplored solution and rely on reagents and resources that do not compete with existing supply chains and will therefore offer a practical alternative approach to rapid diagnostics.

ICENI Diagnostics provides point of care (POC) diagnostics and carbohydrate-based therapeutics, with a focus in infectious disease. A single device, dual assay human viruses, the subject of this proposal, has its basis in synthetic biology and is dependent on the assembly of recognition ligands using enzymatic production processes.. The developed assay uses glyconanoparticle technology with potential for replacing molecular technologies and immunodiagnostics – a major shift in analytical approach. It has potential applications in clinical and non-clinical settings. The company has research underpinning its developments and the technology has been demonstrated in lab and working environments. We now require investment to expedite the developmental process and introduce a paradigm shift in analysis by bridging the “valley of death” for SMEs, such as ours, as quickly as possible.