Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester The Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) is the home of our research. We are located in state-of-the-art research labs on the 3rd floor of the building.
Centre for Synthetic Biology of Fine and Speciality Chemicals at MIB SYNBIOCHEM is actively engaged in challenging research projects that enable us to make significant advances in science to benefit industry and society. A portfolio is currently maintained that is already providing synbio solutions to the green manufacture of fine chemicals, therapeutic small molecules and new routes to biofuels.
Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub
The group coordinates the UK Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub which is based at Manchester with spokes at University College, London, Imperial College, Nottingham University, The UK Catalysis Hub at Harwell, Centre for Process Innovation and the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre.
Nigel is an academic in the Department of Chemistry at Manchester. Research students and staff are members of this academic department.
We have programmed access to the world class research facilities at the Central Laser Facility at the Harwell Research Complex. We are also members of the Dynamic Structural Science Consortium (see academic links) at the same location.
The BBSRC is one of the main funders of our post-doctoral and post-graduate research programmes. It also leads on funding the SYNBIOCHEM Centre (with contributions from EPSRC)
The EPSRC is a major funder of the group's activities. It leads on funding the FBRH (with contributions from BBSRC)
Office of Naval Research Global/DSTL
The US Office of Naval Research Global (ONRG) fund our programmes in the fuels and synthetic biology areas. We also receive funding from the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) in the area of synthetic biological materials.
We work closely with C3 BIOTECH in the fuels from biology area.
Industry
We receive a number of major industry grants to work in the areas of biomanufacturing, industrial biocatalysis and fuels production.
European Commission
We have projects and fellowships funded through the European Commission and Marie Curie Actions in a number of different areas.
We are partners with C3 BIOTECH in the EU funded eForFuels programmes to develop photobiological systems for the production of volatile hydrocarbon fuels.
Samar Hasnain, University of Liverpool
We collaborate with Samar Hasnain on a number of different redox enzymes involved in denitrification.
Mike Hough, University of Essex
We collaborate with Mike on understanding the mechanisms of gas binding to haem proteins.
We collaborate with Martin on using time-resolved SAXS and WAXS to study protein dynamics, and XFEL methods to access fast timescale protein dynamics. This is funded as a major Centre-to-Centre grant from EPSRC.
Flaviano Giorgini, University of Leicester
We collaborate with Flav on the inhibition of kynurenine monooxygenase (KMO) as a therapeutic target for the treatment of neurodegenative disorders, such as Huntington's disease, Parkinsons and Alzheimer's diseases.