Almac Group invests US$7m in biocatalysis research with Queen's University Belfast
To accelerate the development of bioinformatics, molecular modelling and enzyme evolution
Almac Group, the global contract development and manufacturing organisation, has invested US$7m in a significant collaborative research and development expansion with Queen's University Belfast (QUB), supported by Invest Northern Ireland in the area of biocatalyst discovery and development.
The three-year project involves the further development of the Group’s biocatalysis services to provide new biocatalyst technologies and products for the pharmaceutical ingredient, flavour and fragrance, agrochemical and fine chemical sectors.
The investment will establish a dedicated biotechnology research team who will accelerate the development of bioinformatics, molecular modelling and enzyme evolution.
Almac Group’s Head of Biocatalysis, Professor Tom Moody, said: 'The biocatalyst is the future for scale-up chemistry involving chirality as it provides efficient, clean and robust processes.
The biocatalyst is the future for scale-up chemistry involving chirality as it provides efficient, clean and robust processes
'The $7m R&D investment demonstrates Almac’s continued commitment to biocatalysis, supporting further growth in our expertise and capabilities in biotechnology.'
Chris Allen, Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences is Principal Investigator on the grant at QUB. He added: 'Biocatalysis and industrial biotechnology are now becoming critical drivers in both the local and global economies. This research project will help to build the knowledge base and expertise in these fields for both Almac Sciences and QUB. The project also demonstrates how different subject areas in QUB – in this case biological sciences and chemistry – can be combined to develop exciting new research opportunities.'
The QUB team will consist of computational and molecular biologists, including senior personnel Meilan Huang (School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering) and Leonid Kulakov (School of Biological Sciences).
Invest NI has offered Almac Group $2.3m of research and development assistance, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund towards this project.
