Manchester Biotech Firm Cytotrait Secures £3m Seed Funding for Crop Innovation
A biotechnology company spun out from the University of Manchester has successfully raised £3 million in a seed funding round, with Northern Gritstone taking the lead as the primary investor. This significant financial injection is set to propel Cytotrait's pioneering work in developing advanced crop traits aimed at bolstering food security and agricultural sustainability on a global scale.
Revolutionising Crop Technology with MOSS
Cytotrait is dedicated to creating "enhanced traits" in various crop species to improve their resilience against environmental challenges. The funding will enable the firm to build upon promising early data from its proprietary Mutant Organelle Selection System (MOSS) technology. This innovative approach is designed to streamline regulatory processes and generate crops with new, improved, and more carbon-conscious characteristics.
Dr Junwei Ji, co-founder and executive director at Cytotrait, emphasised the urgency of addressing food security and sustainability. He stated, "Food security and sustainability are two of our most pressing global challenges, and issues that we must be prepared to face today to ensure we are ready to meet the needs of tomorrow. We developed MOSS with those challenges in mind – a unique crop engineering solution capable of streamlining regulatory pathways and generating crops with new, enhanced, and more carbon-conscious traits." Dr Ji also expressed gratitude to investors, noting that their support reaffirms the potential of MOSS to usher in a new frontier in crop technology.
Expanding Applications and Market Reach
With the new capital, Cytotrait plans to explore the application of its MOSS technology on key crops such as wheat, maize, potato, and canola, targeting markets in Europe and North America. The company, which was established with support from the University of Manchester Innovation Factory, has previously received £498,000 in funding from the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) to develop MOSS for reliable hybrid seed production in wheat.
Dr Tim Brears, executive chair at Cytotrait, highlighted the breakthrough nature of MOSS, saying, "MOSS is truly a breakthrough in the field of crop technology, allowing us to precisely engineer characteristics that can not only enhance yield and resilience, but also help to drive a more sustainable future for modern agriculture. We’re extremely proud of everything our team has already accomplished, and thankful to our investors, whose support will enable us to expand our pipeline and explore the applications of MOSS in some of the world’s major crop types."
Investor Confidence in Northern Innovation
Duncan Johnson, CEO at Northern Gritstone, praised Cytotrait as a prime example of world-class innovation emerging from universities in the North of England. He commented, "Cytotrait is a prime example of the world-class innovation from the North of England’s universities and the ambitious founders and teams we see on our venture building program, NG Studios. Northern Gritstone is very pleased to be working with Dr Ji and the team and look forward to positive results from this first tranche of new development programmes."
This funding round not only underscores the growing importance of biotechnology in addressing agricultural challenges but also highlights the vibrant innovation ecosystem in Manchester and the broader North of England. As Cytotrait advances its research, the potential impacts on crop yields, resilience, and sustainability could mark a significant step forward in global food production efforts.
