Fungi may hold key to drug discovery
Fungi have played a key role in the development of many medicines, notably penicillin, however producing the active medicinal ingredients at scale for R&D has been a key challenge to further fungal drug discovery.
A synthetic biology platform to support fungal drug discovery will create a flexible, scalable and cost-efficient synthetic biology platform that supports the synthesis of diverse fungal molecules and produces sufficient compound. Led by Gerard Wright at McMaster University, it will leverage Kapoose Creek Bio’s (KCB’s) proprietary AI-enabled drug discovery platform (unEarth Rx), which mines nature for new therapeutic drug leads.
With over $2.3 million in funding announced in May 2024 as part of a larger $41 million investment, the platform will use genomics and metabolomics solutions to develop a biosynthetic expression system for genetically-encoded fungal compounds.
ABOUT GAPP
The Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP) supports industry-facing partnered research projects that address real-world challenges. Designed to accelerate the social and economic impact of genomics, GAPP provides the space for research, innovation and application to thrive collaboratively. GAPP projects address real-world challenges and opportunities through greater collaboration between genomics scientists and the users of genomics research. They aim to stimulate public- and private-sector investment in Canadian genomics technologies, advancing technology uptake in receptors and moving technologies across readiness levels.