Gene machine aims at space

Dec 18 2008 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal

SCIENTISTS behind multi-million-pound tech firm Bio-Fresh have launched their latest venture – a DNA research business which is expected to grow into a £15m-a-year enterprise within four years.

Professor Jerry Barnes and Dr Ian Singleton, who launched Bio-Fresh out of Newcastle University in 2003, have created a new research-based business which aims to service universities across the world, having already attracted attention in Canada for a similar commercial venture.

The double-faceted business will incorporate an academic arm, Genevision, and its commercially-facing alternative brand Geneius which aims to revolutionise the process of testing for particular microbes in small pieces of DNA.

The services provided by the business could have commercial implications in the healthcare, food and drink and environmental sectors and will speed the time it takes to test for the presence of microbes such as bacteria, fungi or mould.

Over the next four years the new company plans to open additional regional centres in the Midlands, Southern England and Scotland, with each centre employing between 50 and 100 people.

The operation currently employs around 15 people at its headquarters in the INEX Business Centre in Newcastle University’s Herschel Building and expects to take on a further 15 workers in the new year. According to Prof Barnes, the new enterprise can cut processing times down from between five to 10 days to 48 hours and, through its DNA sequencing technology, is far more reliable than current testing methods.

He said: “The only major company servicing an academic DNA service that does this is at the moment is based in Korea so clients have to send things across to there.

“The idea is to target the European science space. We will do it here in the North East and grow it from here.

“In Canada we have had interest from a laboratory and there is the possibility of setting up a business centre there.”

Bio-Fresh is built on technology specially developed to keep food fresh for longer and has already attracted £2m of investment.