Renaissance BioScience Corp. (RBSC) is pleased to announce a new partnership with Mitacs for a multi-year, $1.44-million research and development project. Mitacs, a national not-for-profit research and training organization, will provide matching funding to the RBSC project to support the development of next-generation, systematic tools and methods for expanding, screening and selecting biodiversity in non-GMO industrial yeast strains.

In addition to the work done directly by RBSC, the project will be facilitated by collaboration with three world-leading University of British Columbia (UBC) researchers in the fields of yeast genetics and biochemistry: Dr. Corey Nislow of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Dr. Thibault Mayor of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; and Dr. Chris Loewen of the Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences. Over the four-year duration of the project, it is expected that up to 20 post-doctoral and graduate research scientist positions (equivalent to an estimated eight full time employees) will be created in RBSC and at UBC to conduct this leading-edge research. Recruitment for these research positions is ongoing.

“We are pleased to have Mitacs’ support as a funding partner in the development of tools for our next-generation non-GMO yeast platform,” said Dr. Matthew Dahabieh, RBSC’s chief science officer. “Mitacs’ commitment combined with UBC’s world-leading research capabilities will allow us to accelerate our strain development technology capabilities, and deliver innovative next-generation yeast technology, products and services to the marketplace.” 

Alejandro Adem, Mitacs’ CEO and scientific director, concurred, saying, “We’re proud to partner with Renaissance BioScience Corp. to support the development of their next-generation non-GMO yeast platform, while also providing UBC researchers with the knowledge and skills they will need to successfully transition to the job market.”

Speaking from the academic perspective, Dr. Corey Nislow of UBC commented, “Having spent a decade in biotech and two decades as an academic researcher, I am incredibly excited to be part of this project which blends basic research with real-world applications. The combination of next-generation genomics, automation and bioinformatics provides our scientists at UBC with a chance to explore the full range of career opportunities. Yeast was the first domesticated microbe and the work of Renaissance continues to push the envelope.”