Microorganisms like bacteria and yeast play a vital role in science and industry. They're used to make everything from medicines and enzymes to sustainable fuels and food ingredients. But as these microbial strains are modified and used in experiments or manufacturing, they can change over time, sometimes in ways that are invisible but can lead to unexpected results, wasted time, or even product failure.
Despite their importance, many labs and biotech companies still rely on basic tools like spreadsheets or manual sample tracking to manage these strains. This makes it difficult to know for sure whether the strain you're using today is identical to the one you started with, or how it may have changed during storage, development, or use. As biology becomes more data-driven and collaborative, this lack of traceability is becoming a major problem.
Our project, **MORF Strain Checker**, is building a simple, cloud-based software tool to solve this issue. It will allow users to upload genetic data from their microbial samples and compare it to previous versions, helping them spot mutations and track exactly how a strain has evolved. The tool will predict how the strain may be affected by these mutations, indicating whether they might be beneficial to remake the strain to prevent problems downstream.
In this project, we will develop a working prototype of the tool and test it with scientists in the UK who are working at the forefront of biotechnology and synthetic biology. Their feedback will help us make sure it's accurate, easy to use, and valuable in real-world lab settings.
The MORF Strain Checker will help researchers and companies save time, reduce waste, and improve the quality and safety of their work. It also supports growing national and international efforts to make scientific research more reliable and reproducible.
By making strain tracking more accessible and trustworthy, we aim to support innovation in areas like green manufacturing, sustainable food, and future medicines, and to strengthen the UK's position as a global leader in biotechnology. This project is part of our broader mission to build digital tools that connect biology with data, helping scientists move faster from discovery to impact.