Public Funding for Colorifix Limited

Synthetic biology (SynBio) is a young and exciting field that combines many different scientific disciplines to redesign organisms for useful purposes by engineering them to perform new functions. SynBio has potential to revolutionise many existing industries and resolve crises in agriculture, energy and healthcare. There is no surprise that substantial funding has been dedicated to this field from both the UK government and commercial investors. With a rapid expansion in the Synbio industry, there is an ever increasing need for the protection of UK commercial biological assets. The traditional IP and asset protection strategies such as patenting and T&C in contracts are not suitable for supporting the agile commercialisation of SynBio generated biological assets. This leaves highly valuable assets vulnerable for extended periods of time, potentially delaying and complicating the scaling-up process and inhibiting commercialisation. Simultaneously, adoption of genetically engineered assets faces public distrust due to the lack of traceability and transparency. In this project GitLife Biotech Ltd, a spinout from Newcastle University and Colorifix Ltd, a SME based at Norwich Research Park, Norwich have come together to address these issues by putting forward a novel and innovative solution for faster scale-out and commercialisation of Engineering Biology innovations. GitLife Biotech Ltd has developed a biosecurity system for engineered microorganisms. They insert a unique DNA sequence in the genome of organisms that acts as an identifying factor. This unique DNA sequence is recorded along with all the information regarding the engineering process and the rightful owners of that particular strain on their cloud-based digital platform. As the DNA sequence is heritable and unique to a single owner entity, the biological asset can always traced back to their rightful owner. Colorifix is a sustainable tech. SynBio company that harnesses genetic engineering and bioinformatics to engineer microbes to produce coloured pigments that can dye fabrics. The dyes themselves are sustainable and unlike current dyeing processes no toxic chemicals are necessary in addition to reduction of water usage significantly. In this project, GitLife will incorporate their biosecurity toolkit in five of Colorifix’s small molecule producing strains . GitLife will demonstrate that these strains will remain traceable to Colorifix and Colorifix is able to share, sell and scale-out these strains without endangering their revenue due to their strains being copied and exploited by bad actors.

To develop novel computational chemistry tools to improve the rate of production of sustainable pigments and dyes for the textile industry.

Colorifix has pioneered the production, deposition and fixation of natural pigments on diverse types of fabrics and externally validated their antimicrobial properties against pathogens common in hospital settings. Some of these pigments are also known to possess antiviral activity. Using the support from this grant, we aim to produce the next-generation of safe, sustainable and effective natural antiviral dyes to support the fight against COVID-19\. Colorifix will team up with two leading research groups from the University of Cambridge, with expertise in virology, nanomaterials and photo triggered chemistry, which will help establish new R&D platforms in a niche area of antiviral dye design, with a significant potential for IP generation. To achieve our goals we will identify the best natural antiviral pigment candidates that will then be produced in a safe industrial microorganism using our expertise in synthetic biology. Antiviral pigments will be combined with antimicrobial dyes previously developed by Colorifix and externally validated to create a unique pigment formulation with dual antiviral/antimicrobial action. Our dyes are permanently bound to fabric, offering durable, long-lasting and safe (non-leaching) anti-COVID19 fabric, with potential effective neutralisation of other common viruses and bacteria responsible for respiratory conditions, a major comorbidity factor which contributes to the number of severely affected COVID patients. Unlike other surface formulations, our antiviral fabrics do not aim at the physical removal of the virus, but complete deactivation through dual mode of action both in dark and on exposure to sun or ultraviolet light. As a consequence, dramatic reduction of transmission rates of the virus can be achieved. Harnessing our patented technology, pigment-producing microorganisms will be used to dye fabrics with application from healthcare (PPE), to general clothing, packaging or public transport sectors. Besides the impact on infection prevention, Colorifix's patented approach has a substantial environmental impact by significantly reducing the use of chemicals and water in the manufacturing process, which also impacts the overall cost. We will collaborate with external academic and industrial partners to validate the antiviral potential of the new dyes and to ensure they meet safety standards. Colorifix has strong relationships with international fashion brands, mills and dye houses, including GM-licensed European production sites, which means the product can be scaled up quickly and integrated into existing manufacturing chains offering a rapid route to market.

Critical for the success of any brand in the Textile industry is the dyeing process with a requirement for colours to demonstrate uniformity, resistance and economic viability. These requirements however come at a significant environmental and societal cost with the industry globally recognised as one of the most environmentally polluting Industrial processes, consuming \> 1.3 million tons of dyes and pigments p.a, the most common of which are synthetic azo dyes derived from petrochemical sources. These dyes are however highly toxic and bioaccumulative with some 200K tons lost annually in effluent, most escaping conventional wastewater treatment with textile dyeing accounting for over 20% of global industrial water pollution The industry is also one of the largest industrial water consumers with over 5.8 trillion litres of water consumed p.a. Failed attempts to ban certain Azo dyes and control the release of toxic wastewaters, have placed significant pressure on the Textile industry for alternative dyeing methods as part of a global consumer and increasing regulatory demand for greater sustainability in production techniques. As a result, the market has seen a flux of 'natural dyes' growing rapidly in the $9.8 billion/year dye market. However, such dyes are rarely 'low-impact' often using mordants to "fix" colour onto the fabric and still consuming large quantities of water. Based on advancements in synthetic biology, Colorifix offer an ecological and sustainable alternative to conventional dyeing techniques by converting low-cost commonly available agricultural by-products such as sugar molasses into high-value pigments and dyed textiles. All of this can be done without any acids, heavy metals or solvents as required in conventional dyeing. The Colorifix process also uses 10 times less water and up to 80% less energy. With significant brand interest secured, and with Innovate UK support, Colorifix aim to deliver 18-month programme of Industrial Research in collaboration with the Earlham Institute to investigate the potential to scale production using industrial_Pseudomonas_ species as a replacement for traditional_Escherichia coli_ -_Pseudomona__s_ offering a metabolically versatile bacterium and an exceptional host for the expression of complex natural products but limited in its inability to degrade sucrose-based renewable feedstocks. These activities will enable Colorifix to truly scale the process and capitalise upon the Global market opportunity available. The arising knowledge also add significant value and open new opportunities to manufacture antiviral and antimicrobial dyes due to the reported therapeutic potential of anthraquinones.