NCYC, part of the Institute of Food Research, has been identifying yeast strains and supplying them for more than half a century and now wants to branch out into other opportunities.
"We are now looking for research partners for possible projects," said Graham Etherington, the bioinformatician at the NCYC. "Partners who really give us more research to do. Sometimes it's more than just saying 'can you identifying this for us?' There might be something interesting. We think we should spend a little bit of money looking into a bit more."
One area that NCYC is interested in is DNA fingerprinting, as yeast sequences could mirror what DNA testing would be. With yeast DNA, it says, it would only take one test instead of various tests that are needed from the currently available biochemical tests to verify the results.
NCYC scientists have used yeast genetics to adapt a DNA amplification and sequencing method for rapid yeast identification. It targets a region in the yeast genome that varies between species. The target DNA is amplified so identification of contaminated products can be made with just a few yeast cells.
The centre is looking for partner academics or biotech companies to look into the research aspect of the possibilities. Etherington adds it is currently in talks with a software company that develops applications to examine DNA fingerprints.
All this is to prepare the organisation to spin out a commercialised arm. "What we ultimately might do is we might become two entities in one," said Etherington. "To have the public side and the commercial side as well and sort of spilt those two up. For the commercial entity, we are hoping to do that within the next 12 months."
Yeasts, small fungi, are widely used in to produce proteins, flavours, vitamins and foods. They can also be used to generate therapeutic products known as biologics - such as cancer antibodies, insulin or cytokines. And by selecting yeast cells that adhere to specific human cell types, it may become possible to deliver drugs to defined regions of the gastrointestinal tract.
Cellular manipulators
Long before the first humans, yeasts were active in the environment - recycling, fermenting and upgrading nutrients - and since humans evolved yeasts have been an ever-present component of their diet. Over evolutionary time, they have "learnt" to manipulate human cells just as effectively as humans have learned to manipulate yeast cells.
"The genes in yeast are very similar to genes to humans," says Etherington. "Obviously you can't start playing around with embryos and human genes to see what happen. That's very unethical, but you can do that with yeasts."
Yeasts have also been proven useful in protecting food against spoilage. Genetic research has revealed how yeast genomes can reorganise during food production to form new hybrids such as preservative-resistant species. NCYC currently holds the largest number of food spoilage-related yeast strains in the world, according to Etherington.
NCYC’s expertise has also helped to solve crimes. In 2003, the managing director of Birmingham-based Aston Manor Brewery was found guilty of contaminating and spoiling the products of the British cider manufacturer Bulmers. NCYC identified the spoilage yeasts involved and helped the police to secure a criminal conviction.
Given that it is easier to obtain gene samples in yeasts than from humans, the first complete "wiring diagram", a computer model of a living cell of its known functions and gene interactions, will probably be for yeasts.
"If you want a model to see what’s going on with how the cells talk to each other and how all the neutron moves to the cell and how they communicate, wiring diagram will be your answer and it will be first produced by yeast," said Etherington.
Among the more than 3,200 yeasts strains that NCYC possesses, the oldest yeast in the database dates back to 1920. The strains come from places as diverse as soil in the Himalayas or a fly found in a Copenhagen back garden. It also owns yeasts from both the Arctic and the Antarctic.
People who send in samples are also from diverse backgrounds. They could come from a university, or from a food manufacturer asking NCYC to look at a spoiled cake or an exploded ketchup bottle, said Etherington.
The organisation also gets requests from companies for particular yeast strains - not just for brewing and baking, but also for scientific work. "Some yeasts target different parts of your body. If you know a yeast is going to infect your gut, we can supply yeast that is going to affect the intestine; that way you can make a drug that targets the intestine," said Etherington.
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