A new biotechnology called Deuterose uses enzymes to manufacture isotopically labelled sugars at roughly one-tenth the current cost. These special sugars—where atoms like hydrogen are replaced with heavier isotopes—are essential tools for fundamental bioscience and medical imaging. Researchers use them to trace metabolic pathways in cancer cells, study protein structures with neutron scattering, and develop advanced MRI contrast agents. But current production methods are so expensive that many labs and clinics cannot afford them. Deuterose solves this by replacing costly chemical synthesis with a cleaner, enzyme-driven process that can be scaled up. If successful, the technology could accelerate research into diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer by making key materials widely available. It also opens the door to cheaper, more sensitive diagnostic imaging techniques. The project is primarily commercial in focus—aiming to reach Technology Readiness Level 6 within two years and either license the process or spin out a company in Manchester. Beyond the core product of deuterated glucose, the platform could be adapted to produce a range of green isotopically labelled compounds, reducing waste and energy use in specialty chemical manufacturing.
View original technical description
Overview: Deuterose is a new biotechnology for the clean manufacture of speciality isotopically labelled sugars. These sugars are essential for a range of research and medical applications, but their high cost makes them prohibitively expensive. This new technology will supply isotopically labelled sugars for an order of magnitude reduced cost, thereby enabling a diverse array of frontier bioscience and new diagnostic techniques to be developed. Ultimately this will accelerate life science research and lead to breakthroughs in diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer more quickly. The project is highly commercialisable, and will lead to economic benefits for the North West, and further afield. Furthermore, the technology is more sustainable than current methods and presents scope for developing a large portfolio of green isotopically labelled compounds to meet growing demand. Aims: The aim of this BBSRC FoF application is to progress Deuterose from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3-4 to TRL6. By Month 24, Deuterose will have been commercialised for the production of a core product (deuterated glucose), or a clear plan will be in place to enable commercialisation of this process soon after. In order to achieve these goals, several technical and commercial milestones must be met. Key to these are: (i) Demonstrating the use of the technology to support the wide community of potential end users. (ii) Scaling-up to a commercially useful scale to meet estimated current market demand (iii) Building a business plan based around market research with the aim to license or spin-out. The end-user engagement represents a major source of added value for this FoF application, as it will enable a number of fundamental life-science research projects to progress immediately, benefitting from the low-cost isotopic materials being made in the project. Approach: Our team has a broad range of expertise to meet the demands of this ambitious project. We have extensive experience of biomanufacturing and enzyme technology, sugar chemistry, and isotopic labelling. Importantly, the lead and co-lead have track records of IP development and translation of novel biotech research. We have also assembled a very wide group of project partners and collaborators – from end-users (such as the STFC-funded ISIS Neutron and Muon Source) to experts in scale-up of enzymatic processes for commercialisation. Our team also has expertise in MRI imaging, as this is an emerging area where our technology could rapidly make a transformative difference. Outcomes: The Deuterose technology is a powerful demonstration of the utility of enzymes for clean manufacturing in the speciality chemicals sector. Based in the thriving biotech innovation community in Manchester, Deuterose will be able to grow rapidly to meet the demands of the UK and international isotope user groups. This will, in turn, lead to job creation in the region, as well as additional benefits through fuelling and enabling front line science. By the end of the project, we aim to establish Deuterose on a clear trajectory for growth as a licensed technology, or spin-out.
Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.
Is something wrong? Let us know