News
Durham spin-out wins new funding
(27 April 2006)
Creative Gene Technology Ltd. (CGT), a spin-out from Durham University's School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, has been awarded £90,000 from NorthStar Equity Investors' (NSEI) North East Proof of Concept Fund to develop pest-resistant crops.
This new investment comes on top of a £200,000 grant from the Centre of Excellence for Life Sciences, and a previous £45,000 DTI SMART Award, as well as significant investment from Durham University. The company's research has been highlighted in the top-rated US journals The Plant Cell and Science. CGT has discovered a novel mechanism by which plant cells stay alive. By disrupting this process in specific parts of the plant, it should be possible to develop new crop varieties that are resistant to pests and diseases, by inducing a localized suicide of the infected cells. As Professor Toni Slabas, Scientific Co-Director of the company says, 'This mimics naturally occurring plant defence mechanisms, and is a type of synthetic immune response to protect the plant.' The localized cell death prevents the spread of fungi or the infection of roots by destructive nematode worms, problems that cause billions of pounds worth of crop damage globally every year. Professor Keith Lindsey, also of CGT, says ' Traditionally, crop protection against pathogenic worms has involved spraying fields with highly toxic chemicals. Fortunately many of these are being banned, but we still need to protect crops to ensure they maintain productivity. We have been working on the biological effects of nematodes on plant roots for several years, and have found genes that are activated in infected plants. This has given us the breakthrough we need in developing new strategies for resistance that avoid the use of these toxic pesticides'. Alex Buchan, fund manager from NSEI, said: "The North East Proof of Concept Fund is playing a vital role in encouraging innovation in the region. The North East has a wealth of talent in the bioscience field, and the funds we are providing are helping to turn great ideas into workable commercial propositions." CGT is backed by Durham University, CELS and NSEI. NSEI is a fund management company, formed by the region's early stage finance company, NStar. NSEI manages the North East Proof of Concept Fund and the North East Co-investment Fund.
