RESEARCH:
Phytoxigene’s parent company, Diagnostic Technology has a history in secondary metabolite research and cyanobacterial biotechnology spanning two decades. In collaboration with Professor Brett Neilan, Diagnostic Technology has been awarded 8 grants by the Australian Research Council (ARC) that have advanced the understanding of cyanobacterial secondary metabolites, developed molecular detection methods for cyanotoxins, and produced complex secondary metabolites in heterologous systems. Diagnostic Technology continues to support the advancements of secondary metabolite research through collaborations with external research groups.
The start of 2020 has seen the establishment of an inhouse research lab within the Belrose site. Current research conducted at the newly fitted lab aims to develop a reliable production source for cyanotoxins and their intermediates as analytical standards.
List of grants:
C00107343: 2001/03 - Discovery and Genetic Engineering of Complex Biosynthetic pathways from Cyanobacteria for the production of novel peptides and polyketides
LP0668313: 2006/08 - A sustainable cellular factory for the production of antibiotics by photosynthetic bacteria
LP110201096: 2009/11 - Discovery of bioactive natural substances from uncultured bacteria and their production using photosynthetic reactor technology
LP0776759: 2009/11 - Uncovering the genetic basis of saxitoxin production in Australian marine and freshwater systems: novel molecular tools for management
LP0989830: 2011/13 - Regulation of Saxitoxin production in bacteria and algae
LP140100642: 2015/18 - Heterologous expression of cyanobacterial compounds of analytical and therapeutic value
RC48679: 2016 - Develop a pilot photosynthetic production process to express a functional secondary metabolite by cloning and insertion of a biosynthetic pathway into Synechocystis species.
2017 - Innovation connect: Develop a pilot photosynthetic production process
LP200100537: 2020-24 - A novel platform for the biosynthesis of commercially valuable saxitoxins
Research supported by Diagnostic Technology:
Liu, T. et al. Directing the Heterologous Production of Specific Cyanobacterial Toxin Variants. ACS Chem. Biol. 12, 2021–2029 (2017).
Ongley, S. E. et al. High-titer heterologous production in E. coli of lyngbyatoxin, a protein kinase C activator from an uncultured marine cyanobacterium. ACS Chem. Biol. 8, 1888–1893 (2013).
Links:
Development of a novel natural product platform for unmet medical needs: https://www.visinnovasjon.no/en/projects/development-of-a-novel-natural-product-platform-for-unmet-medical-needs/
Neilan Laboratory of Microbial & Molecular Diversity: https://twitter.com/NeilanBGGM
Presentation at the 6th Australian and New Zealand Cyanobacteria Workshop : Data interpretation form the use of the phytoxigene QPCR assays: