Canadian biotech finds UK partner for major food safety project

When Canadian company GangaGen Life Sciences wanted to develop a new weapon in the fight against food poisoning, it needed world-class bacteriophage expertise to add value to its own technology and world-leading experience in meat product safety.

An introduction to the University of Nottingham by UK Trade & Investment’s Global Partnerships Programme has helped GangaGen embark on a major joint project to commercialise a treatment targeting the most common form of food-borne illness in the world.

Making the connection

When GangaGen first made contact with the Toronto office of UK Trade & Investment, it was already established at the forefront of phage technology, having successfully initiated the safe and controlled use of these naturally-occurring anti-bacterial agents in a new generation of therapeutics against E.coli and Salmonella.

This research agreement is of great importance to the health market in general.

Dr Rainer Engelhardt,

Chief Executive Officer,

GangaGen

“GangaGen was keen to extend its portfolio of products and to capitalise on the UK’s track record in addressing antibiotic resistance and the safety of meat products,” explains Cameron Branston, an Investment Officer in our Toronto office.

“The company was looking for a conduit to realise these ambitions and I identified the Global Partnerships Programme as the best route for them,” he says.

Expertise is academic

Partner research undertaken in the UK by the Global Partnerships Programme in conjunction with the East Midlands Development Agency, highlighted the complementary work of the University of Nottingham.

Awarded the accolade of Britain’s ‘University of the Year’ by the Times in 2006, Nottingham is home to a team of researchers which had demonstrated that certain phages specific for Campylobacter can significantly reduce the load of the bacteria carried by poultry.

As Dr Ian Connerton, the University’s Northern Foods Professor of Food Safety explains:

“By implication, this should also reduce the risk to consumers by decreasing bacterial contamination of meat that is prevalent in poultry processing and is transferred to chicken meat on grocery shelves.”

Partnering for profit

Increasing resistance to several common antibiotics makes Campylobacter a global health challenge – and a major commercial opportunity.

“Dr Rainer Engelhardt, Chief Executive Officer at GangaGen was very keen on the opportunity to work with the University of Nottingham and we helped them move forward with the relationship”, says Cameron Branston, who also provided the company with exclusive UK market research.

Most Canadian companies in the life sciences sector will look to the UK as a launch pad in Europe – the common language and the UK’s established reputation make it the natural partner.

Cameron Branston,

Investment officer,

UK Trade & Investment

The resulting agreement between the two organisations will enable them to pool their knowledge and resources for at least three years in a bid to commercialise phage technology targeting Campylobacter infection, which is characterised by fever and vomiting, severe diarrhoea and abdominal pain.

“This research agreement is of great importance to the health market in general,” says Dr Engelhardt.

“GangaGen believes that the place to start fighting food safety-related bacteria is at the farm where livestock production takes place and this research agreement with the University of Nottingham enables us to continue building on that premise,” he added.

“The combination of the two research teams provides strong impetus for creating a safe, effective and low-cost solution to this pernicious consumer health risk.”