NCIMB news, Feb 2025
Dr Brandon Childers from NCIMB will be presenting at the IBioIC Annual Conference in Glasgow, on 12 March 2025. He will give a brief update on the work that NCIMB has carried out on novel enzyme technology for the production of a cyclodextrin molecule, as part of a session highlighting a selection of the exciting projects that were supported through the UKRI funded Launchpad for Biomanufacturing in Scotland.
Many people will have benefited from the properties of cyclodextrins in their day to day lives without realising it. These natural products, which are made from starch using bacterial enzymes, have a ring-shaped structure made from several glucose units joined together. Other molecules can be trapped in the centre of the ring, and this is the characteristic that gives them their functionality – they are used to trap, solubilise and stabilise a range of bioactive molecules, with a high degree of selectivity.
Cyclodextrins are versatile molecules that are particularly useful for drug delivery, and they are found in a number of commonly prescribed medicines. The molecules can also be used to bind fragrances and consequently have application in products designed to both deliver and eliminate smells. For example, they are used in the manufacture of products such as tumble dryer sheets that release a scent, and a cyclodextrin is one of the key ingredients in the odour eliminating product Febreze.
In addition, the molecules have an array of potential applications in food, food supplements, personal care, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, paints, and surface coatings.
NCIMB manages an extensive collection of bacteria with industrial potential, that was first established 75 years ago. The collection has now expanded to include thousands of strains and it continues to grow with new additions from diverse sources including many proven commercial strains for industrial biotechnology. Strains from the collection are supplied to researchers around the globe. Standard terms of supply are for non commercial use such as research, teaching or quality control and we also offer licenses for commercial use of our strains.
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